Just as the Web's early rise wrongly made us believe in the Long Tail, the theory of success moving from a few dominant mega blockbusters to a broad universe of niche hits, mobile's halcyon days made us believe that "there's an app for that" would translate into a financial bonanza for mobile developers.

That leaves budding developers, makers and builders to face a harsh reality: At one time, they might have found the best opportunity to express their ideas through app development. Now it's hardware, connected devices, and services that exploit and serve those innovations.

But while development has become easier (and apparently cheaper), those streamlined processes make for more crowded app stores to fight through.

That, invariably, means less money for the indie.

Part of the problem comes down to attention. The bigger Apple's or Google's app stores get, the less likely it will be that anyone ever discovers your app. That's one reason more people will grab Big Brand X's truly awful download before they'll sniff at yours. They know (and presumably love) Big Brand X, so it's a natural hop to move to its mobile app.

But you? You're almost certainly a waste of screen real estate.

You may believe that the huddled masses would love your app, if only they could find it. Too bad you'll probably never know. Marketing apps to new users has recently become a little less expensive, but it's still not cheap to get someone to download an app, as Fiksu's data shows:

Credit: Fiksu

Once you do get people to install your app, that's still only half the battle.

Macmillan points to MIDiA research that indicates "many of today’s blockbuster games are not acquiring new audiences." He thinks that should warm the heart of indies hoping to break into big-time revenue. On the contrary, that may do the opposite. The mobile app world's best examples of success look like a desperate scramble to acquire an audience, followed by a plateau. In other words, good luck trying to keep the growth going.

According to Fiksu, which measured costs in relation to app launches over time, the expense of keeping users engaged adds up quickly. Recent figures show they've risen 188% year-over-year for Android and 13% for iOS:

You Could Get Lucky

Macmillan's point of view is obviously more optimistic. He predicts an imminent future "where more app developers will have more chances to make more money." To support this he cites data that shows "the number of publishers making between $1,000 and $5,000 monthly has increased 12 percent to reach 6,300 publishers in April 2015, up from 5,600 in September 2014."

That's great news. Sort of.

For one thing, it overlooks the reality that all apps are not created equal when it comes to getting paid. On average, roughly 70% of the time we spend in apps is restricted to our three most frequently used apps, according to Flurry data.

Your odds of becoming one of those three are very, very small.

That is, unless you're developing a game (32% of time spent in apps), Facebook (17%), or social messaging (10%). And games? Well, if you look at the top grossing apps/games, they tend to not be written by indie developers. Supercell, King.com, and Machine Zone all have multi-billion dollar valuations.

Maybe you don't need to make a mint. But you do need to pay your rent. Good luck with that. According to Flurry, roughly 52% of apps lose half of their peak users within three months. And games, despite owning a large chunk of our time, struggle mightily to retain users: 50% of gaming apps lose 50% of their peak monthly active users within two months.

But maybe you're not a game, or Facebook, or a messaging app like Whatsapp. That leaves 41% of the market to fight over. But subtract Twitter (2%), utilities (8%) and YouTube (4%), and that segment dwindles. What you wind up with is just a quarter of a user's potential app time, extending across an average of 26.8 apps we use on a monthly basis, according to Nielsen.

That doesn't mean it's impossible to make it as an indie developer. But the odds of success certainly aren't in your favor.

Big Is Different

The same is not true for big brands. Part of the reason is because most aren't in the app business, per se. Mobile apps are a means to an end, and that end is not normally the lavish retirement of their developers.

Larger enterprises tend to see mobile as part of a larger multi-channel strategy. Even when mobile drives considerable revenue—one U.S. retailer recently told me that they expect to do $2 billion this year through their mobile website and app—it's still just one source of revenue among several.

So what's an indie developer to do? Switch gears. Maybe even literally.

ReadWrite Editor-In-Chief Owen Thomas recently observed that "what was largely a software phenomenon has turned into physical hardware." Increasingly, innovation has been leaping off flat screens into three-dimensional products you can touch and hold. "The mobile and social revolutions have largely run their course; while people will still reap the rewards of those innovations, the opportunities are fewer and less interesting," he wrote.

If hardware's not your calling, Simmons offers another alternative: Go work for "The Man":

You the indie developer could become the next Flexibits. Could. But almost certainly not. Okay—not. What’s more likely is that you’ll find yourself working on a Mobile Experience for a Big National Brand(tm) and doing the apps you want to write in your spare time. If there’s a way out of despair, it’s in changing our expectations.

VisionMobile agrees. If there's one thing its data has consistently shown for years, it's this: Enterprise app developers may not have more fun, but they make a lot more money than consumer-facing, independent developers.

The time has come to stop thinking up "apps for that," and perhaps start building "apps for them"—that is, for the big brands that can actually afford a more sophisticated mobile strategy.

Recent figures from Web application design and development company Go-Globe reveal that we now spend 89% of our mobile time in apps, and we're spending 21% more time in them now than last year. In fact, apps are so big that 52% of alltime spent in digital media happens inside apps.

That behavior translates into mountains of cash for some companies. I spoke with one U.S. retailer who will do $2 billion of in-app sales this year. Inspiring—or at least it might be, if not for the sobering reality that this tends to be the exception rather than the rule.

Over the past few years, the average number of apps that people use has remained constant at 27, according to Nielsen data, with 70% of all app use spent in the top 200 apps. Recode recently pointed out that 25% of apps are used once, then get deleted by fickle users.

As a developer—whether retailer, game maker, or financial services company—your primary goal is to become an essential part of your users' app-happy day. And your only hope to get there is by using data. Lots and lots of data.

Standing Out In The Crowd

Despite the euphoria around mobile apps, a recent BI Intelligence report offers a dose of reality. Turns out, more than half of in-app time is spent inside a user's two favorite apps.

Keeping users is no easy task either, with the cost of retention also on the rise. So what's an app developer to do?

What Would Google Do?

A "morass of confusion" seems to plague developers, as they try to figure out an effective mobile strategy. But much of that confusion stems from misguided app strategies, which often go heavy on launching an app, but skew too light on data.

In other words, in the "there's an app for that" rush to build, most companies overlook the importance of making apps live up to their promise—a potential only realized through very big data.

Consider Google.

Though the company distributes Android, its really interesting mobile work doesn't run on a device at all. As Redmonk analyst Stephen O'Grady notes, Google's mobile strategy is all about the cloud.

Google’s vision for computing is clearly cloud centric, and more particularly driven by the aggregated of value of millions of users living in the same cloud. The same way that Google can determine where traffic is congested by noticing that thousands of GPS-enabled Android devices are slowing down is the same way that the company can determine that because a million fans of obscure band A have liked obscure band B means that there’s a reasonable chance you will too.

Services like Google Now and even Google Maps depend on data, leading O'Grady to conclude that "the single most important asset for Google is not...software, but access" to user data from millions of devices.

This is as true for Google as it is for any company building apps—which is pretty much every company now.

It's about transforming a business through mobile and, more specifically, through mobile data. In other words, cloud data made useful in a mobile context.

Fortunately, we're starting to see companies grok this. When asked about mobile priorities, they put personalization and optimization—both heavily data-driven—at the top of the list, according to an Adobe/eConsultancy survey.

Credit: Adobe

It's a great start, but that only scratches the surface. To succeed in mobile, you need a more comprehensive look at what your users do and what they value. You need more data. Much more.

Fixating on wireframes and the look and feel of your app is important, but insufficient on its own. Instead, spend more time thinking about user data, and how you can use it to deliver an exceptional experience. That's the only chance your app has of breaking into the 27 apps users will turn to—much less the top few where they will spend 70% of their time.

The trouble with making a smart robot: fitting its big brain into its head. Now Qualcomm, known for making Snapdragon smartphone processors, wants to step in to help run those rigs.

Last week, the chip maker announced that it will work with the Open Source Robotics Foundation's (OSRF) Robotic Operating System (ROS). Created by a community of developers, ROS aims to make it easier for app builders to create robotic software.

“If you were going to build a small mobile robot a few years ago, you would’ve gotten a low-power x86 architecture laptop, and made that the brain of the robot,” Brian Gerkey, OSRF's CEO, told ReadWrite.

Now, with Qualcomm's support for ROS, those days could be over.

Stuffing Phone Tech Into Robots

The sort of compact processor available in phones could offer benefits for certain types of robots: “[N]ow you can basically do all the same things but using this lower power consuming, smaller form-factor board which is much more appropriate, especially for smaller robots,” Gerkey said.

According to Tom Marchok, Qualcomm's senior director of corporate strategic development, leading robotics research labs across both university and government sectors wanted to see more integration of smartphone technology in robots.

They were already sold on ROS as "a key piece their innovation process," Marchok said. So the company decided to get involved and snap their mobile processors into the robotics puzzle.

Smart Robots—Without Big Heads

Because Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors are already made for mobile devices, they also can fit onto small, single-board computers. When developers load ROS onto such a computer—like a credit card-sized InForce 6410—they’ll have access to a huge library of development tools that can offer their robots functions like gesture recognition, motion tracking, object identification, and grasping, among plenty of others.

The InForce 6410 could be your robot's new brain.

With those functions already squared away by ROS, both amateur robot-makers and professional robo-operations can start thinking of new, innovative ways for their robots to work. Moreover, the board computers’ small size comes with lower, more efficient power consumption as well, meaning that these robots will be able to do more without needing a recharge.

That's just the beginning.

How Gaming And Mobile Industries Make Robots Better

According to Gerkey, the partnership that brought ROS to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors and boards will benefit other ARM-based board computers as well: “The work that we’ve been doing with Qualcomm has the side effect that the same packages can be used to install ROS on any ARM-architecture board, including Raspberry Pi or the BeagleBone Black.”

This is just the latest example of how the robotics field has grown, partly due to seemingly unconnected advancements in other industries, Gerkey said:

Robotics has in recent years been piggybacking on developments in the gaming community. So for example, the Microsoft Kinect that they put out for the Xbox turned out to be an awesome 3D vision sensor for robots. The robotics community and industry benefitted a lot from that development and now we’re basically piggybacking on the amazing developments in the mobile computing industry in a similar fashion.

With the huge strides taking place in wearables, virtual reality, and the Internet of Things, technology is getting smarter, smaller, and more agile. It might not be too long before the technology comprising those products lay the ground for yet another revolution in robotics.

For now, though, Qualcomm and OSRF’s partnership could be poised for a revolution of its own.

Amazon released new Android and iOS software developer kits for its Amazon Cloud Drive service on Wednesday. For the first time, developers can bake direct access to Amazon’s cloud storage into their apps, freeing users from having to log in to their Amazon account anytime they want to access their stored data.

Amazon Cloud Drive is different than the raw file-storage services Amazon has long offered directly to developers like Dropbox, who have then built their own interfaces to files stored in the cloud. It's a consumer-facing service, meaning this offering is more about giving developers access to the consumers who use Amazon Cloud Drive.

However, it’s pretty likely that more apps will start adding in Amazon Cloud support before too long as consumers begin to expect compatibility with whatever choices they’ve made in terms of cloud storage.

Cloudy Days

The good news is that Amazon’s new SDK will potentially give users even more choices about the clouds in which they’d like to stash their data. As more apps support more storage options, users won’t need to make decisions with regard to compatibility. Developers will likely begin to support as many of these different storage options as they can, giving users as few reasons as possible to eschew their apps because of lack of cloud support.

The bad news, however, is that this makes developers’ jobs even harder as they have to choose which cloud storage services to support and leave out—or simply have to support all of them. It’s wonderful that we’re spoiled for options when it comes to storing data in the cloud—between Microsoft OneDrive, Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, Apple's iCloud, and Amazon Cloud, we’ve got an embarrassment of riches, and almost too many choices to deal with.

Take me: I feel guilty when I see my empty OneDrive folder on my Windows PC, since I decided to go with Dropbox as my cloud storage service. OneDrive might be great, but Microsoft Office on iOS and Android started supporting Dropbox not too long ago, so there was no reason to start storing files in two separate cloud services.

It seems a shame to have a perfectly good storage option going unused on my computer, and yet, using too many services will get crazy complicated. I've already got files split between Dropbox and Google Drive, not to mention locally on my hard drive. I don't need another option to muck up the situation.

So if consumers like me have a hard time choosing a particular cloud-storage solution, imagine the difficulties developers will have as their cloud choices grow.

That Amazon has thrown the doors open to its cloud service is a huge benefit to consumers who already use it. But too much fragmentation in any space can spell disaster. Every service a developer has to support adds time, cost, and complexity to their app. And if too few users show up for one particular service, it could potentially fold—meaning they've wasted that effort.

On the flipside, developers who don't support all the options that prove to be popular will frustrate users like me who have already made their cloud choices. In order to cast as wide a net as possible, then, it’s incumbent on developers to support every option they can, which can be a major pain, too.

Choice is generally good. However, sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. A field crowded with too-similar choices might keep anyone from actually ever succeeding.

Software and hardware are getting even cozier at Microsoft—at least, that’s sure what it sounds like based on a new executive restructuring CEO Satya Nadella announced on Wednesday.

According to Nadella's announcement, sent to employees and also posted on Microsoft's website, Stephen Elop, the former Nokia CEO who helped broker the phone division's acquisition by Microsoft, is leaving the company for greener pastures.

Meanwhile, Terry Myerson, currently executive vice president of operating systems, will take over for Elop as the head of a newly formed team within Microsoft called the Windows and Devices Group.

Microsoft's Terry Myerson and Joe Belfiore

While Elop’s departure seems sudden, the move reveals a trend at the company that’s been gathering strength for some time now. Microsoft wants to ensure that its hardware offerings are the best showcases for its software—which could mean that Windows 10 on PCs, smartphones, Xbox, and even the HoloLens might be the next big developer frontier.

Hard And Soft: They’re Microsoft’s Unified Wares

We all know the story of Microsoft’s rise to power, and subsequent stumbles: Its Windows operating system and its suite of applications found ubiquity on PCs, and Windows became the default OS on most computers in the world. Only Apple remained as a holdout—and while its Macs never challenged Windows PCs in market share, the operating system they ran on, OS X, became iOS, the software that runs on iPhones and iPads. Together with Google's Android, they upended the computing-device market and made Microsoft an also-ran in the smartphone and tablet era.

Since then, Microsoft has struggled to keep up with Apple and Google in the mobile space. Windows Phone still has only a single-digit share of the smartphone market. Yet the company found success in gaming, thanks to its line of Xbox video game consoles. Now in its third generation, the Xbox One, Microsoft’s Xbox division proved that designing hardware and software to work together could reap huge rewards.

Microsoft brought that concept to computers with its Surface line of devices—an initial miss that looks like it's slowly transforming into a hit with the Surface Pro 3. Now Surface is a billion-dollar business at Microsoft, and Myerson’s promotion to the head of the Windows and Devices Group shows that the company is more serious about its marriage of software and hardware than ever before.

If Microsoft’s forthcoming mobile devices under Myerson’s direction can replicate the Xbox and Surface line’s previous successes, developers may want to start thinking about ways to fill in the dearth of mobile apps for Windows.

Microsoft’s Nokia acquisition gave it the resources necessary to make its own top-flight mobile hardware, but putting Myerson in charge of the whole shebang means that its handsets will truly be designed to work in concert with its software.

We can’t know for sure if Microsoft’s newest mobile initiative will break the Windows mobile curse. But the fact that Microsoft is getting a bit more Apple-like in terms of imagining how its software and hardware products can work as a cohesive whole means it might stand a pretty good chance.

Lumia and Surface images courtesy of Microsoft; Terry Myerson photo by David Hamilton for ReadWrite

According to Microsoft, the feature is "very close to our final design” and boasts a few finishing touches. These include flight and package tracking; the return of alerts "for going to work, going home and the airport”; and spoken responses when you ask about the weather, currency and stock quotes, among other things.

Cortana got a small makeover as well, with darker colors and other changes, so that it fits in better with the rest of Windows.

A One-Handed Complement

When it comes to phablets, those huge mashups of phone and tablet that stretch both pockets and the bounds of reason, the physical realities of handling an enormous handset has made one-handed modes a necessity. Microsoft’s take—available on smartphones with displays of 5 inches or more—seems to riff on Apple’s approach, The Next Web noted.

Just press and hold the Start button, and the software sends the whole window sliding down, so you can reach any inputs at the top. Do it again, or touch the blank area in the upper part of the screen, to return to normal mode. This isn’t Windows 10 Mobile's first effort to help the single-pawed—the company already launched a one-handed keyboard (available by swiping sideways on the space bar).

Some Android users get a one-handed mode as well, though usually concocted by manufacturers, not Google. Samsung, for instance, shrinks the whole display on its large Galaxy phones down and side-situates it, so fingers can reach every part of the miniaturized screen.

The software update also includes some interface changes, as well as news font and icons, plus tweaks to improve its camera app.

Microsoft will release the new software for people signed up for the Windows Insider Program for mobile, the company writes: “We are only offering it to phones that are running Windows Phone 8.1 and opted in to the Windows Insider Fast ring.”

There are specific instructions for upgrading, and the process is not very straightforward. In fact, it looks rather glitch-prone, as Microsoft acknowledges. It promises that these issues will be resolved for the next software build, but for now, if you don’t follow the directions exactly, your device could "wind up in a funky state.” Let that be a warning.

Google Maps for Android just got an interesting new update: The app can warn you if your destination will be closed by the time you arrive. Android Police noticed the change, which relies in part on information from your Gmail account—like car reservation details, flights and hotel bookings—to provide the warnings.

The timing is tough to overlook. Apple also recently announced new features for its Maps app—in this case, to finally add public transit information with its next iPhone software, iOS 9. But while Apple may be playing catch up by finally including this long-awaited feature, Google seems focused on going beyond what users expect.

The update may be incremental, but it could point to the company's larger road-worthy ambitions. Consider a signpost signalling where Google really wants to go.

Helpful Assistant, Will Travel

Apple and Google have a history of locking horns on the mapping front. In 2012, the iPhone maker yanked Google Maps from its handsets, replacing it with its own homegrown—and kind of buggy—application as the default. Eventually, Apple succumbed to user demand and allowed Google Maps back on the handset, albeit as an optional app download.

Apple CEO Tim Cook even issued "mea culpas" for Maps' lack of transit directions by diverting users to third-party apps, including Google's. His company will finally fill in that glaring hole soon, but meanwhile, rival Google's application keeps evolving.

Here's the gist: Imagine plotting a route to a restaurant that closes at 10pm. If it's 9:30, and it's going to take you 30 minutes or more to get there, then Google Maps displays an onscreen warning to let you know, with the message, "Your destination may be closed by the time you arrive." You can then choose to abandon the trip or push on regardless.

While perhaps not big on sex appeal, the update seems long on helpfulness. It also works as a reminder that Google's never done developing its mapping product, as well as how much work Apple has to do to catch up.

Where Google Wants To Go

In the last 12 months alone, Google has rolled out numerous new mapping-related features: the ability to send directions to your phone from the desktop, lane guidance for 15 extra European countries, an option to share directions through other Android apps, tips about your destination and an Explore Nearby feature for discovering places of note in your vicinity. The app even offers virtual reality Street Views for Google Cardboard VR viewers.

Of course, many of those features only work if the app has accurate information to begin with, which is one reason Apple wants to reduce its reliance on third-party mapping data providers and control its own database.

Apple Maps has improved a lot since its launch as well. (At the very least, we're not hearing about driving directions to take a hard turn off a bridge recently.) Google's offering continues to demonstrate the benefits of 10 years of mapping experience, as well as its ability to mine your emails for bookings and travel data.

Before long, the maps battle could ramp up even further—especially with Apple and Google both trying to claim the driver's seat with their respective CarPlay and Android Auto initiatives. Maps will be a key foundation for these approaches, not to mention Google's other passion project, its driverless car—which could mean we're not done seeing Google Maps try its best to morph into full-fledged travel assistants.

To check out the new Google Maps feature, make sure you have the latest app update or download Maps v9.10 for Android from the Play Store.

Recently, a LastPass security hole that spilled email addresses and password reminders has put the spotlight back on login security. Now Intelligent Environments, a United Kingdom-based technology firm, thinks it has the key that could help lock down those passwords more tightly: emoji.

The firm announced its "Emoji Passcode" tool Monday based on a simple premise. The large and growing range of potential emoticons offer many more choices than numerical digits, making it harder for hackers to "crack" PINs or passcodes, and gain access to users' accounts.

Intelligent Environments has begun pushing the concept to banks, starting in the UK, hoping it will adopt this picture-friendly form of authentication for their customers. If the company succeeds, the concept's leap to other scenarios—think smartphone logins, secure apps and other online services—may not be far behind.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand PINS

The use of emoji—the image-based characters that sprang out of Japan to take over the world's messaging—may seem like a naive, overly simplistic approach to the complex, frustrating problem of keeping intruders out of our confidential accounts.

Then again, some financial institutions and services already use images in some form for authentication, so a variation on the theme may not be all that foreign a concept.

Part of Paychex's employee login process

Experts will tell you that there's no such thing as perfect security, but easy, low-cost tactics may still be worth considering. If nothing else, at least they can put more obstacles in front of attackers. Every little bit helps—even if it only adds complication to tactics like "brute force" (a trial-and-error method performed by software, which can crank through a massive volume of guesses at high speeds).

The commonly used, four-digit PIN number has only 7,290 possible combinations. That's not very high from a security standpoint. A hacker equipped with the right software could "brute force" through hundreds of possibilities for four-digit PIN combinations without much trouble.

Intelligent Environments’ tool, however, offers 44 different emoji to choose from, providing 480 times more possible combinations, for a total of over 3.4 million. The result is a higher chance of a unique passcode that's less likely for an unauthorized user to guess—and more likely to be remembered by an authorized one.

Total Recall

On its website, the firm cited "memory expert" Tony Buzan, the inventor of the Mind Map technique, who says that humans have an “extraordinary ability to remember pictures, which is anchored in our evolutionary history.” Because emoji rely on pictures rather than the comparatively abstract numbers and letters we’ve been using for the last several decades, they are more suited to how our brains work.

Also, unlike with set alphanumeric possibilities, emoji character possibilities can expand endlessly, as Apple recently highlighted by unveiling a slew of new ethnically diverse ideograms.

While probably an improvement over today's standard PIN codes, it's not entirely clear emoji is really any more secure than other alternatives. Using a string of words, instead of a mix of different symbols or characters, could help make passwords more difficult to guess—and it wouldn't require any special tools to implement.

Courtesy of xkcd.com

Today The Banks, Tomorrow The World

Although no banks have actually signed on for Intelligent Environments' emoji passcode tool yet—the firm says it’s “in discussion” with a few—one thing seems clear: There's a pressing need for greater security in all sorts of scenarios, from banking to emails, social networks and other online services.

Numerous options are already pushing forward, with alternative approaches, from fingerprint or retina scanning to even voice biometrics.

But not all devices or developers are equipped to support those technologies, which is where the use of alternative passwords—whether by using strings of words or emoji—can help.

Lead image and above image courtesy of Intelligent Environments; comic courtesy of xkcd; screen captures of image authentication by Adriana Lee for ReadWrite

BlackBerry may have plans to release a keyboard-slider smartphone powered by Google’s Android mobile OS, according to a report published by Reuters on Thursday. Of the “four sources familiar with the matter,” two say that the device “could come with some of the patented features in its BlackBerry 10 operating system.”

If true, then the news amounts to BlackBerry’s admission of defeat. Once a leading smartphone maker, its efforts to reclaim its former glory—from the disastrous touchscreen Storm handset to its recent bid for revival, the keyboard-loving Classic—would officially get marked a "flop."

While that might bring BlackBerry devotees into the Android fold, it's hard to see the move making much of an impact on either side. Android can't help BlackBerry, nor does it need its users. Not that it wouldn't have some effect: BlackBerry developers could suddenly find themselves forced to switch gears before long.

More Like "LackBerry"

Let's break this down: If Reuters' sources are correct, then BlackBerry devices don't go away. They would just start shipping with Android on board. The latest rumors posit that a slider phone with both a touchscreen and a QWERTY keyboard could be among the first new hardware to come out of this mash-up.

BlackBerry insists that it's not necessarily killing off its latest software version, BlackBerry 10, at least not entirely. In a statement, the company told Reuters that it “remains committed to the BlackBerry 10 operating system, which provides security and productivity benefits that are unmatched.”

Since BlackBerry already went down the dual-platform route, with its square Passport and retro Classic phones both capable of running Android apps (courtesy of Amazon's Appstore), the only reasonable assumption then is that the company could just pluck its best bits from BlackBerry 10, while leaving the rest behind.

The BlackBerry 10 OS supports Android 4.3 apps via Amazon's Appstore.

Those features could include multitasking, its BlackBerry Balance security measures (which separates a user’s work and personal profiles on a single device), or its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service, which is already available on Android and iOS devices. But as an early rumor, the story's still too vague to pin down actual specifics.

If the company strips its OS for parts, that could leave the loyal developers who have stuck with the Waterloo, ON, tech company in a precarious situation. Apps created specifically for BlackBerry's operating system might not be long for this world, while others—who don't already have Android versions of their apps—could be forced to go back to the drawing board.

And for what? A change that might not mean much to Android or BlackBerry in the end, anyway.

Following the Nokia Xample

According to IDC, Android holds 78% of the smartphone market. The platform is far beyond needing BlackBerry’s users. The phone maker weighs in with an embarrassing 0.3%.

The benefits to the struggling phone maker don't seem clear either. Google's mobile platform powers so many other devices, a BlackBerry-made Android phone would hardly stand out (except maybe for its weirdness, if the slider/keyboard rumor holds up). But ultimately, it could do more harm to BlackBerry's brand than good.

There’s one shining example that putting out a half-baked Android smartphone is no path to success: the Nokia X. That device, which features a modified version of Android, was one of Nokia Devices’ last gasps before it was acquired by Microsoft and became Microsoft Mobile in 2014. It reportedly earned 10 million pre-orders in China, but ultimately fell victim to mediocre reviews and waning interest.

The Nokia X ran a Windows-styled version of Android that left reviewers unimpressed.

Nokia’s earlier push into Android devices looked like evidence of its frustrations with the Windows Phone OS at the time. Microsoft swiftly shut down the project shortly after it bought Nokia's mobile business.

Now Microsoft's in the midst of revamping its own software, but it has a key advantage with Windows 10 Mobile: It offers interoperability with other Windows 10 computers and applications. BlackBerry has no such advantage.

If BlackBerry releases an Android phone, it would only do two things: prove that the company finally acknowledges BlackBerry 10’s overall lack of viability as a platform, and put loyal developers with a tough spot.

A new, high-end Windows Phone was spotted on the GFXBench benchmarks database on Friday. This could wind up being Microsoft’s next flagship Lumia—and the first one to offer its exciting new Windows 10 feature, Continuum, which lets you turn your phone into a desktop PC.

Neowin noted that NokiaPowerUser was the first to spot the listing, which calls the phone a “Nokia RM-1106,” and says it runs the Windows Phone operating system.

Nokia’s mobile division is now a subsidiary of Microsoft proper, so its designation as a Nokia device is likely a holdover. What’s important are the specifications listed on the benchmarks entry, and what they might mean for Windows Phone users waiting for Microsoft to flip the switch on for Windows 10, the first truly unified desktop/tablet/phone operating system from Microsoft.

Inspecting The Specs

The entry seems to reveal some high-end specs that suggest it could be the handset codenamed “Talkman” that we’d heard about in early May, which Neowin and NokiaPowerUser theorize could be a Lumia 930 follow-up. It’ll sport 32 GB of onboard storage, 3 GB of RAM, a six-core CPU, a 20-megapixel rear camera, and a 5.2-inch HD display.

The actual figures in the entry differ a bit from the ones listed above, but that’s only because the benchmarks record the space available at the time of the test itself; 27 gigabytes of storage is what’s left over after accounting for the space taken up by the OS itself, while the 1.5 GB of RAM shows what’s not being used.

What’s most significant, however, is that these specs seem to confirm that Microsoft has big plans for its mobile devices. Windows 10 Mobile—which will replace the “Windows Phone” name of its mobile OS—will offer users the Continuum feature, which changes the user interface based on its context.

For instance, if I’m using my Surface Pro 3 with a keyboard, I’ll have a traditional desktop-like Windows interface. But if I take the keyboard off, Continuum will know this, and ask if I want to switch to tablet mode. That mode sports a touch-optimized interface, one more conducive to using a stylus or my finger to interact with Windows.

A glimpse at how a Windows 10 Mobile device will look on the big screen with continuum

The same powers will come to Microsoft’s mobile offerings. When you plug a Windows 10 Mobile phone into a larger display along with a keyboard and mouse, for instance, Continuum will know what’s happening and change its UI to reflect its new setting.

Suddenly mobile phones will be able to become real, full-fledged PCs—and the specs revealed in this benchmark entry show that Microsoft won’t skimp on the power when it comes to showing off what Continuum can do.

In the meantime, developers experimenting with Windows 10 Mobile Technical Preview via the Windows Insider program ought to think about all that can be done on a device with those specifications.

While Microsoft has said that the mobile version of its new operating system will likely come out a little while after the desktop version, it’s never too soon to start thinking about new and interesting ways that Continuum will change the way we work with Windows.

Google I/O, the company's annual developer conference, is upon us, and we'll be scouring the event for what's new and noteworthy. Were our predictions right on the money, or way off the mark? Let's all find out together!

The Google I/O keynote kicks off at 9:30 a.m. Pacific. We'll be covering the keynote, as well as the rest of the conference throughout Thursday and Friday.

Join us, won't you?

ReadWrite's Adriana Lee is on the scene at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. You can also watch the keynote live on the I/O website.

Perhaps "all" is too strong a word. If you even have one, you're already ahead of the game. Less than a third of North American companies have a mobile strategy that goes out at least 12 months, according to a new Econsultancy/Adobe survey.

But for many of those organizations, that strategy often begins and ends with "fitting our website into a mobile app," or goes only a few steps further, showing some key functionality within a mobile app. Neither is enough.

No, as Intercom vice president Paul Adams declares, the most effective strategies aren't necessarily "mobile first." They tend to revolve around customer experience more than any blind attempt to capture mobile devices. Translation: The optimal way to build a mobile experience is to define what the overall experience should be first, then figure out how mobile can help.

Mobile ... Last?

With 90% of the world's population over six years of age destined to have a phone by 2020, it's not surprising that businesses have woken up to the need to reach a mobile audience. Indeed, most companies now at least pay lip service to mobile.

According to the Econsultancy/Adobe survey, just 31% of companies in North America claim to have a mobile strategy (34% in Europe). Meanwhile, a collective 69% don't even have one:

Source: Adobe

At least some claim they're working on it, though it's not exactly clear what those strategies will include.

For many, as Paul Adams stresses, the answer is to focus on "mobile first." That's not necessarily the right strategy. (In and of itself, it's not really a strategy at all.) "If 'mobile' is our future, why are almost all the most successful mobile driven businesses building web apps designed for larger screens?" he asks.

He's referring to Uber, Waze, and other "mobile-only" apps that now also reach out to computer screens. Granted, the argument is not quite fully formed or very persuasive on its own—Uber still requires a mobile phone to actually hail a car, for example—but it does suggest that the complete user experience encompasses more than just smartphones.

What Are You Trying To Do?

Adams argues that sound mobile strategies require companies to figure out the "job-to-be-done." This is very much a Clayton Christensen idea, a core concept espoused by Harvard's innovation and business expert. It basically boils down to figuring out what jobs your customers are trying to accomplish.

This is the framework within which Adams suggests we're doing it all wrong:

[W]e’ve been looking at “mobile” using the wrong frame of reference. For years I’ve pushed the idea that “mobile” is not about devices, it’s about access to consuming and publishing information. For me, obsessing about specific devices was a bad path (they change too frequently), obsessing about iOS versus Android OS was a bad path (they are both important) and obsessing about phone versus tablet was a bad path (they have merged into one larger category of portable screen and continue to evolve all the time). Information via screens not devices – this is the key idea.

But it's not just about gadget choice or screen size. It's also a matter of convenience. For example, in a recent panel conversation, John Bollen, chief digital officer for MGM Resorts International, talked about how a mobile app is a poor fit for its clientele, given that people visit Las Vegas every two years on average. Forcing them into downloading an app for that brief experience doesn't make sense, so has invested in responsive websites instead.

Of course, he acknowledges that apps are exactly right in other contexts—as our check-in kiosks, check-out attendants and other screens. But rather than being fixated on a default "mobile first" model, he's focusing on specific ways mobile can improve his customers' experience.

Zeroing In On The Best Screen For The Job

Customers increasingly expect to get information, or have a particular experience, right now. That immediacy practically demands mobile. As Forrester analyst Ted Schadler told me, "Mobile is the ability to get what you want, on the device of your choice, in the immediate moment you need it."

The important consideration is whether you should offer only one way to interact with your brand, and generally the answer will be "no."

For example, I'm unlikely to order my Dominos pizza from an Apple Watch, but I'd love the ability to track my pizza's delivery to my house on it. I can see myself ordering an Uber and tracking it on a watch, but I wouldn't ever want my phone to be my only means of authoring and reading email.

On this note, Adams cautions that we need to "think about the screen best suited for input, and the screen best suited for output." Sometimes mobile will be the answer. Sometimes not. It depends on what the customer wants to do.

From smartwatches and smartphones to smart televisions, Samsung is putting its homegrown Tizen operating system into as many products as it can. While Tizen has yet to take off in the way the company has hoped, a new report published by Counterpoint Research reveals that there’s one place that Tizen mania has struck at least one place: Bangladesh.

The relatively small country is one of the most densely populated in the world, and its people are apparently crazy for Samsung's Tizen-powered Z1. The report says that, in Q1 2015, it was the top-selling smartphone in Bangladesh’s nascent mobile market.

This is a big win for Samsung, not just because rivals like Apple and others have been vying to own emerging markets, but because the South Korean tech maker desperately wants to validate Tizen apps and services. The company has been trying to jumpstart an app ecosystem to rival Android, but one that doesn’t share a nickel with Google.

That’s usually the biggest hurdle for any rivals to Android or iOS; without users, there’s little incentive for developers to bother making apps for a given platform. It's the same conundrum Windows Mobile (née Windows Phone, née old Windows Mobile) has faced for years.

Tizen is starting to look a lot more interesting on smartwatches. But can Samsung replicate that excitement on smartphones, and claim more markets?

In the end, the only way for Tizen to truly take off is for Samsung to prove it's worthwhile for users. With Bangladesh embracing the platform, at least the company now has data it can point to, which may give it a fighting chance, at least in the developing world. As for anywhere else, the jury is still out.

Tuesday's North American release of Asus’s new flagship handset, the ZenFone 2, confirms a growing trend that, frankly, fills me with sadness: the rise of the phablet.

Phablet Phatigue

This isn’t a new complaint, of course. Our own Adriana Lee had similar thoughts back in 2013, and since then, the problem has only grown worse. It was clear that the phablet was an unstoppable force when even Apple, the aesthetic-obsessed company that wouldn’t give up on 4-inch phones, unveiled the giant sized iPhone 6 Plus.

As a result of Apple’s journey into the land of giants, the ZenFone 2’s similarly sized 5.5-inch screen has barely raised an eyebrow—even though a phone of that size would have been considered utterly huge only a year ago. We’re all so used to seeing enormous handsets by now that it barely even registers when another one joins the list.

Obviously, there are plenty of benefits to using a larger phone. Bigger displays mean more potential to get things done. A large phone also gets a large battery, which—again—increases a mobile user’s productivity quite a bit.

Put A Ring On It

That said, from an ergonomic standpoint, big phones are also a big pain. At 5’8”, I’m just about average in terms of height for an American male, but just about every new phone that comes out is definitively too hard to handle in my statistically normal-sized hands.

Even Adriana, who wished in vain for smaller phones back in 2013, has gone over to the dark side with her iPhone 6 Plus. Her solution? She’s got an iRing affixed to her phone’s case, which helps her get a grip. And here I thought all you really needed to hold your phone would be, well, hands. Call me old fashioned.

I'm sorry—this is bonkers

The real problem isn’t so much that there are too many phablets, but that there aren’t enough non-phablets these days—at least none that are truly interesting. Consider Asus, LG and Google (by way of Motorola). All three of their flagship phones have screens of at least 5.5 inches. And though the HTC One M8 and One M9 have 5-inch screens, once you add in top and bottom speakers, the phones are again mammoth-sized in the average hand.

Samsung, amazingly, has actually shown something resembling restraint, having opted to reserve its truly ginormous handsets for the Galaxy Note series. Of course, the Galaxy Note is primarily responsible for bringing the current phablet craze to the world, so Samsung only gets partial credit for that one.

At the end of the day, there’s something to be said for a device that can actually fit comfortably in your hand and pocket. I’m still holding out hope—quite possibly forlorn—that Apple won't let the iPhones 5S and 5C shuffle away without designing a new 4-inch iPhone. We need Apple to lead by example for more modest devices—you know, ones that don’t make me look like a baby holding a tablet up to his face.

Foxconn, the renowned—or infamous—Taiwanese contract manufacturer of iPhones and other gadgets, may be looking at building a smartphone of its own.

On Tuesday, Foxconn (formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry) made a "strategic investment" in Cyanogen, the Google-free Android alternative that’s been making headlines lately. It offered no reason for the move, so it's up to us to draw some preliminary conclusions.

Cyanogen provides a very Android-like experience, but with enough different features to make it appealing to those looking to get away from Google.

So the Foxconn investment in Cyanogen suggests that the manufacturer may be planning to release a smartphone of its own.

Not long after word got out about Microsoft’s investment in Cyanogen, the two companies made public a partnership in which Cyanogen would distribute Microsoft consumer apps in future versions of its mobile operating system. While Foxconn's investment in Cyanogen doesn’t necessarily mean it's joining that club, that certainly sounds like the most likely "strategic" move it could have in mind.

Another data point: Chinese manufacturers Xiaomi and Huawei have been turning heads with their Android handsets for a little while now. Foxconn could be looking to break into the handset market by going a somewhat different road. A Foxconn phone could enjoy all the app compatibility of an Android device, but with the deeper customization its version of the OS makes possible.

Lead photo by Adriana Lee for ReadWrite; CyanogenMod image courtesy of Cyanogen

Android users may soon be able to ride herd on their apps with fine-grained permission controls, Bloomberg sources say. If so, it's about time.

According to "people familiar with the matter,” Google will let people cherry-pick the data that mobile apps can jack into. In other words, those smartphone and tablet users could stop an app from gleaning contacts and location, but let it pull from, say, their photos.

Google won’t confirm or deny the rumor, but it would make plenty of sense. Currently, when an app asks for access to different types of data, usually when you first install it, your only option is to allow them all or to punt on installation altogether.

Greater user control has been a key reason for some people to consider alternatives like CyanogenMod, which makes an App Ops-like setting standard in its version of Android. Privacy concerns also fuel companies like security-centric Blackphone, which has also modified Android to give users more fine-grained controls. Now it appears Google may have taken up its App Ops tool once more.

The timing may help substantiate the rumor. Google I/O, the company’s annual developer conference, takes place later this month. The agenda covers a large array of technologies—including Android for Work and some sort of new moonshot wearable, not to mention an early look at the next evolution of Android, among other things.

With the growing number of users, data and gadgets on Google’s plate, the company likely saw no choice but to ditch its wholesale approach to permissions now. People using Android devices at work or wearing them on their bodies wouldn’t want apps pilfering extra information just to install a photo or game app.

Consider it part of Google’s push for tighter security in Android. Whatever the company’s reasoning, it’s long overdue.

Microsoft might have two new Lumia handsets in the works, and rumor has it they’re going to be impressive. If so, these new smartphones could be Microsoft’s best argument yet to get you to switch to the Windows Phone platform.

It’s Raining Men

The India-based mobile blog Unleash the Phones reported Monday that the two Lumias—codenamed “Cityman” and “Talkman”—will each offer 20 megapixel rear cameras, expandable storage via microSD, and removable batteries. Those details alone are pretty impressive, especially given how many phone makers are shunning removable batteries and storage.

The Cityman is said to be the larger of the two, with a 5.7-inch quad-high definition display and a Qualcomm octacore processor. The Talkman, meanwhile, will have a 5.2-inch QHD display. The post notes that Microsoft wants this phone to be “much slimmer than the Lumia 930,” which, for the record, is already less than a half-inch thick. The Cityman will have a 3300 mAh battery, while Talkman’s battery is slightly smaller at 3000 mAh.

The Lumia 640, one of the first Microsoft-made phones not to bear the Nokia brand.

These are really good specs, on par with (or better than) most of the high-end Android smartphones from Samsung and LG, not to mention Apple’s current lineup of iPhones. Of course, we don't have any idea what the Lumias will cost or when they might be available.

The Appeal Of Windows 10

While the hardware sounds impressive enough to go head-to-head with this year’s crop of flagship phones, the real draw might just be the mobile Windows software. I know, I’m as surprised to write that as you are to read it.

Microsoft’s plans for Windows 10 have been exciting, to say the least. For starters, the company is making a big push to help developers port iOS and Android apps to Windows 10. What’s more, the plan is for all apps to be “universal,” which means that if you can run an app on your phone, you can run it on your tablet, or your PC, and vice versa.

While the ability to successfully run an app or program will be limited by each device’s hardware capabilities, it should—theoretically—still be a cinch to sync Office, Calendar, Outlook, and Cortana across Windows devices once they’re all running Windows 10.

Then there’s Continuum, a feature that’ll adapt the Windows 10 experience based on the device and user input. The short version: if you take the keyboard off your Surface, Windows 10 will ask you if you want to switch to “tablet mode,” which will have more in common with the Windows 8.1 Start Menu than the traditional desktop. If you plug a keyboard and monitor into a phone running Windows 10, you’ll be able to treat that device as a PC, with more fully featured user interfaces. In all, Windows 10 on phones is going to feel a lot less like a separate Windows experience than it has in years past.

Microsoft has big plans for Windows 10 consistency across all of its devices.

And that’s the big snag. Microsoft confirmed in late April that Windows 10 will be hitting its mobile devices sometime later than the projected summer launch window for the desktop version of the new OS. Windows boss Joe Belfiore explained at Microsoft’s annual Build conference in San Francisco:

Our phone builds have not been as far along as our PC builds. We’re adapting the phone experiences later than we’re adding the PC experiences.

There are devices and features that will come not on launch date, but following it. From the device view, our main focus is to kick off the Windows 10 launch wave with a great launch on the PC. You should expect that the other devices—phone, HoloLens, Xbox, Surface Hub—will be staggered, probably not on the same date as the PC.

For now, there’s no word on when (or, to be honest, if) Cityman and Talkman might make their way to shelves. But if these specs are on the money, they might be the best examples of Microsoft’s mobile ambitions yet.

To better understand not only AppViews but the innovative deep linking marketplace, and whether the increased intelligence buried in deep links will lead to privacy concerns, I sat down with URX marketing chief (and former Googler) Mike Fyall (@mikefyall).

Going Deep On Deep Links

ReadWrite: Why is deep linking important? And is there more to it than people generally think?

Fyall: Deep links help users travel directly inside of an app to the right place, similar to a URL on the web. They help users save time, marketers create better campaigns, and developers build cross app experiences.

Deep links will also usher in much needed new tools for app discovery and engagement. The deep link itself is just an address; however, as companies like Google, Facebook, URX, and others build an understanding of the content behind deep links we'll be able to recommend apps to users when they are most relevant and useful.

This is happening today. For example, Google is showing app content in search results, and companies like URX are building products (AppViews) that recommend relevant apps based on a users context. We'll see lots of innovation here in the coming years, particularly as daily transactions inside of mobile apps continues to increase.

Everything Is Connected

ReadWrite: What sort of data does URX glean from deep linking?

Fyall: When URX crawls webpages with deep links on them, we capture information about the page content—for example the headline, keywords, images, and other metadata—using similar techniques to how search engines index webpages today. This helps us understand where the deep link goes so we can recommend it at the right time.

URX can also check to see if a user has a given app installed before deciding which AppViews is most relevant.

ReadWrite: When announcing AppViews, you talked about building an understanding of the entities inside mobile apps and how they relate to each other and the physical world. What does that mean?

Fyall: In order to show relevant AppViews for a given context, we need to understand how people, places, things, and concepts relate across apps.

For example, the "Beyonce" that you can listen to in Spotify is the same "Beyonce" you can also listen to in SoundCloud, or buy concert tickets for in Stubhub. Without this understanding, "Beyonce" is simply a 7 letter word to a computer and you can't figure out what a user might want to do next.

We've have a team of data scientists working on our knowledge graph (short explanatory video) for over a year. We utilized the Freebase project to kick it off and continually enhance it as more data flows through our system.

Today, if a user is browsing a story about Beyonce we have a host of possible destinations a user might be interested in visiting.

ReadWrite: You talk about suggesting the "next action" to make users "happier," but how can you discern what they really want from deep links?

Fyall: AppViews are about giving users a relevant recommendation for what they want to do next. To them, we aren't offering a deep link: we are helping them discover content or take action. We named it "AppViews" as the goal is to give the user a glimpse inside other app before deciding to leave their current experience.

The higher the user engagement is with AppViews, the better job we've done for users.

ReadWrite: Who pays for this? Meaning, a developer might want to surface content to me in her app, but presumably you're not going to show it to me unless it will make me happy, right? How does this work?

Fyall: To date, we've seen the majority of developers implement AppViews to add functionality to their site and getting paid is secondary.

Nexercise, the developer of the Sworkit fitness app, told us they've seen a host of positive reviews and feedback when they added the ability for users to listen to music before they workout.

In terms of the business model, advertisers will be able to pay for "Promoted AppViews" which will appear alongside related content. For a promoted AppView, the developer receives a majority of the revenue and URX take a cut as well. Developers have complete control over the format and types of recommendations shown.

All The Pieces Matter

ReadWrite: With AppViews you're getting into big data-type applications, not merely mechanical "Click here to go to the right place in an app." Where does this lead? (And will it be a privacy problem?)

Fyall: Deep links are the required infrastructure to build the new mobile discovery platforms that are so desperately needed on mobile. For as powerful and amazing as apps have become, we're still stuck browsing through app stores and can't move intelligently between apps. URX is one of several companies trying to reinvent how we discover and engage with content on our phones.

Most mobile ads today, for example those shown on Facebook or exchanges like MoPub, are targeted toward users based on demographics or previous behavior where privacy is a strong concern. However, AppViews are shown purely based what someone is doing right now— it doesn't matter who you are, just want you might want to do.

According to Samsung's earnings, its mobile business hasn't just continued to decline; it's raging through a downward spiral now. The South Korean company's first quarter mobile profits plunged almost 40% from the same time period last year, according to the AP on Wednesday. But it still has reason to be optimistic.

From January to March, Samsung’s mobile division earned 4.63 trillion won (or $4.35 billion USD), while a year ago the division pulled in 7.49 trillion won (roughly $7 billion USD), making for a "larger-than-expected drop."

The results prompt analysts to point fingers at the iPhone 6 Plus. Apparently, Apple’s large-screened flagship, known alternately as the company's first iOS phablet, ate into sales that were once phablet-maker Samsung’s domain. However, the numbers don't take into account one very important factor: Samsung just put out its best smartphones yet, with its Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, and results from their global launch this month won't be available until next quarter.

In other words, we'll know in a few months whether Samsung has (finally) turned a corner or not. In the meantime, let's look for some clues.

Take Note: The Galaxy S6 Is Selling Big

News of a 39 percent profit loss would typically be cause for alarm, and it’s certainly not making anyone at Samsung jump for joy. However, those numbers also reflect a lull in Samsung’s release schedule. More importantly, shortly after the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge’s reveal at MWC in March, Samsung revealed that it already received about 20 million pre-orders for the two versions of its new flagship phone.

All that means that by the time Samsung’s Q2 profits are revealed, the company should have a much nicer set of numbers to tell investors. And with no new iPhones until at least this fall, Samsung should have a clear path to regaining its mobile supremacy in much of 2015.

Last year, at Facebook's F8 developers conference, the company introduced developer tools designed to crack down on apps that took liberties with users' Facebook account data. Apps new to the Facebook fold had to support them immediately, while existing partners got a year to embrace the changes.

Now, time's up: On Thursday, the company will flip the switch on its Login and Graph APIs (see our API explainer), making support mandatory for everyone. That means all apps that tie into Facebook must allow users to pick and choose the data outside apps can read. The company also wants to prevent apps from making extraneous or unnecessary requests for Facebook information.

“We want developers to make it clear to people how their [Facebook] information's being used,” said Facebook product manager Simon Cross, at an intimate "whiteboard" press meeting Tuesday. "And we want people to have more control over apps.”

Admirable goals. But the move could also cause a ripple effect that kicks up errors, bugs and crashes in apps—as well as even entire app removals, in some cases.

How Facebook Is Clamping Down On Data Requests

The old Facebook Login vs the new Facebook Login

According to Cross, Facebook released the APIs last year to give everyone plenty of time to work with them. At this point, the majority of apps that connect to Facebook today already support the updates.

The most visible change appears when you launch an updated app, choose Facebook Login and see a new link on the authentication page: “Edit the info you provide.” Tapping the link conjures a list of options users can approve or nix, one by one. If an app doesn’t need your birthdate, you can uncheck that. No need for your “Likes” or "Friend List,” then go ahead and untick those options. (In some cases, you may have to go into your Facebook app settings, remove the app from the page, and then re-download the mobile app to see the link.)

But there's a caveat: Setting permissions now won't alter the Facebook data that apps may have already collected about you. If you've already given up access to your birthday, address or other details, you must contact the app developers directly, if they want those bits removed from your account.

The company wants to prevent third-party apps from gathering unnecessary information about Facebook users from the get-go, so it also instituted a new Login Review process. Apps that ask for basic data—like a public profile, e-mail address and friend list—can bypass it, but those trying to dig in deeper will have to go through a manual review by Facebook staff. The team makes its decision based on how reasonable the data requests are, assessing whether they're really necessary for the app to function.

The process can take roughly three to five days per app, Cross added, though the team aims for just a day or two. So far, he estimates that Facebook has reviewed more than 40,000 apps over the past year.

The Graph API, version 2.0, adds another layer of protection. Essentially, the changes prevent apps from pulling in data from Facebook friends, just because the primary accountholder gave permission.

That often comes into play when users grant access to their newsfeeds, which are essentially populated by other people’s posts and photos. A user can still connect their own images or updates to outside apps.

What The Changes Mean For Developers And End Users

Ultimately, the changes were designed to beat back the Facebook "creepiness factor”—that uneasy feeling when users suddenly saw third-party apps posting on their timelines, contacting their friends or pulling their shared photos.

“We’ve gotten clear feedback that people wanted this experience,” said Cross, who explained that putting users at ease can help developers make more revenue. It makes for a compelling case. Since the company debuted the tools last year, it has seen 50% fewer permissions requested, and an 11% increase in the numbers of people logging in, at least according to Facebook's numbers.

This screen shows what declined requests could look like within a third-party app. Those that haven't supported the new APIs, however, might look buggy or even crash.

Cross mentioned several times that the “majority” of partner apps already support the new APIs. However, he wouldn't offer specific numbers or percentages, so there’s no telling how many apps actually made the transition. As many as 99.9% of Facebook partner apps may work, or nearly half may fail, which makes for a huge margin of uncertainty.

“We’re not turning off the old system, so if you haven’t upgraded, it’s not like everything will break,” said Cross. “How the app behaves if you haven’t upgraded yourself will very much depend on how you coded the system. [But] there could be errors.”

The issues could range from pop-up error alerts to app crashes, or even worse. One photo-sharing app that relies on Facebook will pull its app, pending support for Facebook's APIs. (In this instance, a brand-new version will debut with support for Facebook's changes.) Other apps, according to TechCrunch, plan to shut down completely in the face of the forced changes—like Job Fusion, which needs to know where friends work to display job openings with those employers. According to the site, CareerSonar, Jobs With Friends, and adzuna Connect will also join the ranks of the fallen.

Major apps from marquee partners—such as Netflix, Pinterest and Hootsuite—have already transitioned, so they should continue working without interruption. As for indie apps, the future seems far less certain.

There's a new reason to think Google might be prepping a new Nexus smartphone—possibly one that might fill the gap left by its just-discontinued Nexus 5.

The latest speculation centers on a Google informational video for its new wireless service, Project Fi (h/t Android Pit). It’s meant to show users how to check their data usage on the new service, which at the moment is only compatible with Nexus 6 smartphones. Despite that, the Nexus 6 is conspicuously absent from the video:

As evidence goes, this is relatively thin: The video only shows an animated rendering of a smartphone, not an actual device. Still, it's odd that Google wouldn’t use the Nexus 6 design. Take a look at the Nexus 6 in this side-by-side comparison:

The Nexus 6 on the left has rounded corners and a microphone grill on the bottom that mimics the speaker grill on the top. By contrast, the rendered device on the right is much more angular at the corners and seems to lack a microphone on the front face of the device.

Now, the device on the right isn't anything more than a rendering of a Project Fi-compatible Android device. But its design seems to consciously differ enough from the Nexus 6 to raise some serious questions.

Google's response doesn't exactly settle the question. A company spokesperson told me by email: "These renderings are based on a generic phone modeled off the Nexus 5."

So let's ponder not only whether Google has plans for a new pure Android device, but what a revamped Nexus 5 should bring to the table.

Walk This Huawei

In early March, rumors started to circulate that the Chinese manufacturer Huawei might be at work on a new Nexus smartphone. The company made waves with its announcement of its Android Wear-running Huawei Watch at MWC, so a deeper collaboration with Google doesn’t seem out of the question. The smartphone in the video could be evidence of that collaboration.

The Huawei Watch could be but the first sign of a deeper relationship with Google.

Moreover, 9to5Google reported on Thursday that Nexus 6 sales have been disappointing relative to previous Nexii. Given that the Motorola-made phablet is integral to the launch of Project Fi, a paucity of Nexus 6 devices out in the wild would limit the actual impact of Google’s wireless service.

Expensive, huge, and hard to find, the Nexus 6 hasn't set the world on fire.

By contrast, a new Nexus device that works with Project Fi could solve many of those problems at once. If Google’s plan is to make wireless service more affordable and fair, it would do well to offer a Project Fi compatible, less-expensive device to update its late, lamented Nexus 5.

Google's non-denial denial leaves open the question of whether the device in this video could be a new Nexus phone—or even if there are plans to expand Project Fi to non-Nexus 6 smartphones. I’m dying to jump onto Google’s service, so I sincerely hope the answer to both questions is “yes.”

Mobile commerce is booming. Indeed, according to Forrester's estimates, by 2018, mobile commerce (excluding travel/food services) will exceed 53% of US online sales.

But in a striking reversal to the norm, wherein the rich get access to the future first, mobile commerce is thriving first with the comparatively poor. This suggests that to truly see the future of mobile, you might first want to take a look at India or other emerging economies.

The Money Is In Commerce

While the history of mobile has been consumed with peddling 9-cent apps, and now in-app purchases, the future looks like commerce. According to a VisionMobile Developer Economics report, mobile commerce is "expected to account for 2.5 times as much revenue as the rest of the app economy put together in 2015."

Indeed, much of that commerce craze won't happen in-app at all, but in-browser, as VisionMobile analyst Christina Voskoglou posits:

App developers prioritizing the Mobile Browser (16%) have significantly higher adoption of e-commerce than iOS (11%) and Android (11%). This is explained by the ease of porting an existing web e-commerce app to mobile and leveraging the popularity of existing e-commerce apps.

But it's also because most people aren't so dedicated to a particular brand that they want that brand to sell to them through a dedicated app. They browse, they buy, they move on.

This, however, may not tell the whole story.

Getting The Varian Rule Backwards

Google's chief economist, Hal Varian, has a clever way of seeing the future. Now dubbed "the Varian Rule," it goes like this: "A simple way to forecast the future is to look at what rich people have today."

In other words, what the rich do and have today, the middle class will have in roughly five years and the poor in 10.

Unfortunately, India has this "rule" backwards.

While commerce may be the future of mobile, generally, it's increasingly the present for India and other developing economies. As pointed out by Voskoglou, in India mobile commerce skyrocketed from 10% to 50% of online transactions during the last 12 months and should top 70% in 2015.

That's blisteringly fast growth.

But it's also par for the mobile course in India, which has seen companies like retailer Flipkart—India's Amazon.com—and Myntra (now owned by Flipkart) dump the Web entirely for mobile apps. Myntra currently sees 80% of its traffic (and 60% of sales) in its mobile app, which the company expects to propel to 90% of traffic and a greater chunk of sales by the end of 2015.

The reason for this torrid mobile commerce growth in India and throughout emerging economies everywhere is necessity. Most of the world can't afford a laptop. Even if they can, their countries often lack the communications infrastructure to reliably access the Internet with it.

But by Ericsson estimates 90% of the world's population over the age of 6 will own a phone by 2020. It therefore makes sense to construct commerce around mobile devices.

Seeing The Future

And much of that commerce will transition to apps, not just the Web. Flipkart has moved to app-only because its customers want a dedicated Flipkart experience to buy through them.

On my own iPhone, I only have two commerce apps, excluding travel: Amazon and Nordstrom. They're the only brands I've deemed worthy of dedicated attention (and let's just say the Amazon app sees a lot more use than the Nordstrom app—I'm not a clothes shopper).

Google's apps and the developers writing for its platform now significantly exceed iOS or any other platform, and have grown much faster.

The answer, as before, is the emerging economies that are growing up on mobile even as the Western economies remain somewhat complacent with their pricey desktops and laptops. Eventually we'll get around to mobile commerce in earnest, with more spending power to support it, but for now, if you want to see the future, look to India.

And yet, if we look at improvements in mobile performance over the past few years, if anything, we see Moore's Law in overdrive. What gives?

Moore's Law Is Too Expensive

Moore's argument, which has stayed strong for 50 years, is essentially that by shrinking transistors on a chip every 18 months or so, engineers could roughly double performance in that time period. More recently, however, the economics of shrinking transistors has become cost-prohibitive.

While Moore's Law probably has another decade to run, the cost of keeping up is already causing some to lose faith in it.

The Wall Street Journal'sDon Clark declares Moore's Law is "hitting some painful limits," given the exploding costs of shrinking transistors.

The Economist, for its part, highlights the shift away from raw processing power to cloud computing:

[T]ransistors can be shrunk further, but they are now getting more expensive. And with the rise of cloud computing, the emphasis on the speed of the processor in desktop and laptop computers is no longer so relevant. The main unit of analysis is no longer the processor, but the rack of servers or even the data centre. The question is not how many transistors can be squeezed onto a chip, but how many can be fitted economically into a warehouse. Moore's law will come to an end; but it may first make itself irrelevant.

But before we bury Moore's Law, it's worth exploring its current impact on mobile.

Mobile: Moore's Law In Overdrive

If we think of Moore's Law in terms of raw performance, and not necessarily a matter of shrinking transistors, then mobile computing clearly shows Moore's Law in overdrive.

For example, if we look at how MacBook Pro performance compares to what Moore's Law would anticipate (using Geekbench data), it's clear that Moore's Law isn't driving laptop performance:

Source: ReadWrite (Geekbench data)

Now compare this to the meteoric performance increases for Apple's mobile iOS devices:

Source: ReadWrite (Geekbench data)

In the PC market, market growth and investment has slowed considerably, with the cloud taking on more and more of the burden of delivering processing power. In mobile, by contrast, the market is booming and the need for more on-device processing power is sprinting to keep pace with software (and cloud) innovation.

Again, I'm not really talking about the number of transistors scrunched onto a single chip, which is at the heart of Moore's Law, but rather an extrapolation thereof: mobile chip performance is off the charts, even as it stagnates in PCs.

Room To Roam

This isn't new, but it's being overlooked in the premature eulogies for Moore's Law. As Intel's Matt Ployhar wrote back in 2010, the mobile industry is moving at "Moore's Law pace or faster."

And then there's Raj Sabhlok's contention that even if Moore's Law is petering out for hardware, something similar is happening in software: "The price of software applications has plummeted, while the functionality and quality has grown exponentially."

Either way, expect the pace of computing—and innovation—to accelerate for years within mobile. Call it the revenge of Moore's Law, or whatever you want. But it's fast, and getting faster.

The New (Old) Nokia

The details from Recode’s report are relatively scant: Nokia Technologies, the division responsible for licensing the company’s patents, has plans and designs for new smartphones (and, apparently, virtual reality projects) in the works.

And before that report, there was already ample evidence mounting that Nokia had plans to come back to mobile. In November, 2014, the company designed the N1 Android tablet and licensed it to Foxconn to manufacture and distribute it. Around the same time, Nokia’s Z Launcher for Android devices appeared on the Google Play Store.

N1 courtesy of Nokia

However, no matter how many great ideas Nokia Technologies is cooking up, it likely won’t be able to do much with until late 2016, barring some tricky negotiations with Microsoft. That’s because the terms of Microsoft’s 2014 acquisition of Nokia's devices business prohibit the Finnish company from selling smartphones under the Nokia name until after December 2015. The company can’t license its brand for any smartphones until after Q3 2016. (The N1 appears to take advantage of a loophole that allows for the Nokia brand on tablets.)

There's another problem, which is who's going to make the phones. Nokia’s manufacturing plants went to Microsoft, too. And it just spent a lot of money buying Alcatel-Lucent, so it's unlikely to go out shopping for a company that owns manufacturing facilities.

Nokia doesn't need to replace the factories Microsoft bought. Apple doesn't own its own phone factories, and there are plenty of Asian contract manufacturers who would be happy to build phones for Nokia.

(And here's a thought: If Microsoft's Windows Phone business doesn't pick up, it may want to keep those former Nokia factories busy by building phones for other companies. Nokia could be a customer.)

One thing is pretty clear, though. Given its recent Android-focused projects, don’t be surprised if the return of Nokia’s mobile business is Android-exclusive. We may finally see some more Nokia X phones after all, whether Microsoft likes it or not.

Google’s forthcoming wireless service could allow customers to pay for data by the gigabyte, says a new report from Android Police Monday—a move that could force the hands of U.S. carriers used to roping customers into complicated data-cap plans that often end up gouging them.

The news comes by way of an app made for the Google service that turned up in an unofficial Nexus 6 firmware image. Called Tycho, the app may reveal pricing details for Google's MVNO service—called “Project Fi” within the app.

Wireless & Painless

The Tycho app itself will apparently give customers the ability to perform the usual kinds of account maintenance functions, like paying bills, activating phone numbers, and checking usage information. But some of the in-app text seems to reveal what could make Project Fi the wireless plan of your dreams:

Your plan lets you choose how much data you want to pay for per month.

Don't worry if you don't get it just right: we'll give you a refund for what you don't use, and if you go over it's the same cost.

Later, there are more details about sharing data:

Shared data across all your devices. Always the fastest speed. Use less? Receive a refund. Use more? Still the same cost.

If these details turn out to be genuine, Google could offer U.S. wireless customers a plan that’s too good to resist. I've reached out to Google for insight, and this was their spokesperson's response:

No official comment. But as you know we did confirm we're launching an MVNO ... stay tuned.

Obviously, that's not much in the way of confirmation. But it's no secret that wireless plans in the United States are priced far, far higher than what they actually cost to provide. As with Google's other initiatives, from Gmail to Google Fiber, the company is likely looking to show the competition how it's done, and it could revolutionize the wireless business in the process.

Why Fi

This logo for "Project Fi" was found inside the Tycho app (image via Android Police).

In 2013, Android Central reported that wireless carriers in the United States charged some of the highest prices for service in the world. Meanwhile, in October of 2014, Ars Technica explained how data caps are a sham designed to generate profit, not protect network speeds. And in May of 2014, we found out that providing 4G service should actually cost less than providing 3G, despite pricing that would seem to indicate otherwise.

The upshot here is that there’s plenty of evidence that US wireless companies routinely gouge their customers. Google’s plans for an MVNO could help show customers that they don’t deserve inflated pricing just to line providers’ pockets. And if enough consumers decide they like to pay fairer prices for services they depend on, those providers might lower prices in response and usher in a saner wireless world.

Though we didn’t see it at Mobile World Congress in March, the LG G4 could finally be set for a grand unveiling on April 28.

Plenty of leaks and speculation have hit the Web about the new flagship smartphone, but recent rumors portray a device that may have every fad and feature crammed into one Frankenstein of a handset—suggesting that LG may have gone a bit too far to tackle longtime rival Samsung.

LG started sending out invites to its upcoming event, where we'll likely see the G4.

Rumor Roundup

In early March, LG mobile boss Cho Juno told the Korea Times that the G4 will be very different from its predecessor. The new model, he said, will feature a “metal-mixtured body,” reveal a “major overhaul in surface design and deliver significant improvements in user-experience.” Since then, a steady trickle of details have come out about what the G4 might look like.

A tweet from @OnLeaks claimed to show early, non-final renders of a curved smartphone alleged to be the G4.

Let’s pretend for a second that this is the real thing. Though the curve on that device may seem more subtle than those on the G Flex and G Flex 2, it could still be LG’s attempt to out-curve the Samsung's Galaxy S6 Edge. (Or at least offer a different take on curves.) Intriguing, yes. But it's hard to overlook one simple, practical matter: It looks like it will feel really weird hitting my leg through my front pants pocket.

Meanwhile, photos on AndroidAuthority show off what looks like a stylus tucked into the G4's exterior, along with a huge screen. As of this writing, the G4’s entry on GSMArena lists the device as having a stylus as well as a 5.5-inch display, putting it firmly in phablet territory.

Other speculation covers LG putting its "self-healing" exterior on the phone, like the one the company bragged about on the G Flex 2, as well as a fingerprint reader and other upgrades—including a better and slightly bigger QuadHD display (now rumored to be 5.6 inches instead of 5.5 inches), a faster 64-bit processor and beefier camera with 20 megapixels and a larger sensor.

All of these features could be interesting in limited quantities, but altogether in one fell swoop would be overkill. Of course, it's not at all clear yet which of these specifications may come to the G4 or its rumored variant, the G4 Note. According to the Korea Herald, the "other G4," which would take direct aim at Samsung's Galaxy Note 4 and the Apple iPhone 6 Plus, will reportedly debut later this year.

LG Versus Samsung

There’s no telling how many of these rumors are on the money, and which turn out to be bogus. No matter what, however, LG clearly appears to be gunning for Samsung.

Prior to the Galaxy S6 reveal, Samsung was stumbling in the mobile market, overproducing underwhelming handsets to tepid reviews. But Samsung’s newest flagship seems like it may right the ship, with reports of over 20 million preorders shortly after its MWC debut in March.

Look out, Samsung washing machine...LG is coming for you.

LG, meanwhile, has been pushing its rivalry with Samsung in strange ways across the organization—like allegedly messing with show-floor washing machines at IFA in 2014. The G3 earned great reviews for its simple design, solid specs, and innovative software. But if the G4 is truly the designed-within-an-inch-of-its-life Frankenphone that’s been rumored for the last few weeks, LG might end up going too far to outdo its biggest rival.

A recent Forbes profile of McMaster and Cyanogen suggests that a major part of that strategy involves an as-yet unannounced partnership with Microsoft. The idea would be to replace Google's Play Store and apps like Google search, Gmail and Google Maps on phones running the Cyanogen operating system with alternatives from Microsoft and a handful of other partners.

While that sort of Cyanogen-Microsoft alliance makes a lot of sense for both companies, any bullets it fires seems likely to be awfully slow moving.

The Benefits Of Bing

The Cyanogen version of Android opens up the operating system to developers and users in ways that go well beyond the "stock" Android versions blessed by Google. Developers can make apps that take more advantage of a phone's untapped features, while users have more control to customize their mobile experience.

Cyanogen also provides more customization options for users and developers alike, including the addition of themes, more security options, and the ability to map new functions to different buttons.

Some of the different smartphone tweaks available to users with Cyanogen.

Until recently, though, using Cyanogen was a serious DIY project that required you to load the operating software onto your phone yourself. (It's now available on a few phones, most notably the OnePlus One.) Doing so also meant downloading and installing Google's apps and app store, if you wanted them; Cyanogen won't install them itself.

The rumored partnership with Microsoft, however, might simplify this process. Microsoft—which reportedly considered investing in Cyanogen more than a year ago—has its own suite of apps built to rival Google’s: Bing for search, Outlook for email and calendars, and OneDrive for cloud storage.

Microsoft’s commitment to supporting these apps could offer Cyanogen a leg up in providing users with an alternative to Google Apps. Sure, they could still install Gmail and all the rest, but if Outlook, Bing, and Office can do the job as well—or better—Microsoft’s apps might simply save them the trouble.

The idea is clearly to show smartphone manufacturers, developers, and users alike that they don’t need Google at all.

Microsoft has already shown its interest in courting Google's often-disgruntled hardware partners. While revealing the Galaxy S6 at Mobile World Congress in early March, Samsung announced that a suite of Microsoft apps would come pre-installed on the Android device—and Microsoft just announced on Monday that its apps will show up on more Samsung devices soon.

Samsung has been attempting to reduce its reliance on Google with its many Tizen smartwatches, its partnership with Oculus on the Gear VR (eschewing Google Cardboard), the creation of Samsung Wallet—the list goes on. A Microsoft-Cyanogen alliance could provide a roadmap to Samsung and others on how to ditch Android completely.

Taking On The Google Goliath

Still, if simply offering an alternative to Google were all it took to succeed, Windows Phone would have much more than the paltry 2.5 percent mobile market share it possesses right now.

A partnership with Cyanogen could give Microsoft a way to pipe users into its app ecosystem while still giving them the ability to take advantage of Android’s huge selection of apps. Of course, Microsoft already had the ability to do just that with the Nokia X—a phone running a Windows-like version of Android released shortly before Microsoft finalized its acquisition of Nokia.

Meanwhile, the Forbes report that Cyanogen’s deal with Micromax to become the exclusive Cyanogen handset maker in India has resulted in great device sales. That deal, apparently, managed to kill the earlier partnership between Cyanogen and China’s OnePlus.

Prior to the split, OnePlus had sold a million phones running Cyanogen. And Cyanogen itself says that it has over 50 million users worldwide, presumably from users who have switched to Cyanogen from Android manually. With $80 million in funding from investors ranging from Twitter, Qualcomm, and even Rupert Murdoch, Cyanogen has some high profile allies.

Over a billion Android handsets reportedly shipped in 2014.

But it seems unlikely that all of that is enough to make a dent in Google’s hold on Android. Strategy Analytics claimed in January that over a billion Android smartphones shipped around the globe in 2014. Cyanogen’s possession of $80 million is nice, and so is boasting 50 million users—but that’s only five percent of Android handsets shipped in one year.

Microsoft and Cyanogen will both certainly have more potential to damage Google by working together rather than separately. But instead of firing a bullet at Google’s head, it seems more likely that they’ll be slinging a rock at a giant—and a pretty small rock at that.

Update, 9:05pm PT: A Cyanogen spokesperson responded to my inquiry, saying, "We are not commenting at this time." A Microsoft spokesperson later added, "Apologies, but we don’t have any comment on this one."

The world is still figuring out why we need smartwatches in the first place, especially given that they aren’t much more than secretaries for our smartphones. But one tech company in Canada is pushing forward with an ambitious plan to make your wearable the center of your computing life.

Pretty Suite: The Tab, Keys, Dongle, And Headset

In January, Neptune revealed the Duo, which paired a smartwatch and a dumbphone—the Hub and the Pocket Screen—into one unique, if odd, package. When I spoke with Neptune CEO Simon Tian, he revealed that the Duo was only the first part of the company’s larger vision:

Any screen can become yours as soon as you start using it. The Pocket Screen is the first of many other screens that will come very soon.

He wasn’t kidding about the “very soon.” Neptune's Suite includes not just the Duo, but a 10-inch "Tab Screen," a wireless keyboard, an HDMI streaming dongle and a set of wireless headphones.

The Neptune Dongle is a Chromecast for your wrist.

“The Duo was always only meant to be a soft launch for the Suite,” Tian explained via email. “It was never in our plans to ship the Duo first then unveil the Suite.”

The Neptune Keys

The new configuration of devices takes the concept of the Duo to the next level—and maybe a few levels beyond that. Like the 5-inch Pocket, the 10-inch Tab Screen is outfitted with a camera, and connects to the Hub via the so-new-it-may-still-bleed WiGig wireless standard rather than Bluetooth LE, a choice intended to yield ultra-fast responsiveness.

And again, the Tab sports a 7000 mAh battery, which Neptune envisions as a backup battery for the Hub should it get low on power. (Albeit one you have to plug into your wristband.) The new twist with the Tab is the addition of Neptune Keys, which connects to the Tab via Bluetooth and can hold the Tab in place to simulate a “full laptop experience.”

The Keys holds the Tab Screen in place to simulate a "laptop experience."

It might be better described as a “full Chromebook experience,” however, since the brains of the operation, the Hub, runs Android Lollipop. Moreover, users will be restricted in terms of storage capacity and performance. With no internal storage of its own, the Tab and Keys is a laptop in looks only.

The Neptune Dongle will allow users to sling their Hubs to the screens that populate the rest of the world. Like a Chromecast, the Dongle plugs into an HDMI port on a computer monitor or television, which Neptune says will provide “a full desktop or smart TV experience.” The Neptune Headset, meanwhile, is a pair of Bluetooth earbuds that can act as a charging cable to siphon juice from the Pocket or Hub should the Hub run low on power.

When not charging the Hub with the Pocket Screen's battery power, the Neptune Headset actually charges your ears with sound.

Indiegogo Comes Calling

According to the company, Indiegogo was impressed with the 7,000 reservations Neptune had received for the Duo, not to mention the $750,000 in liquid cash they’d raised without the benefit of a crowdfunding site. So it offered to launch the Suite, Neptune says.

As of this writing, the Suite campaign boasts $841,525 in pledged funds, which is comprised of the money raised during the Duo’s independent campaign, and whatever has been raised via Indiegogo. Backers who pre-ordered the Duo will still receive the Hub and Pocket before the end of the year, but will also receive the entire Suite when that ships in February.

With a little under a month to go in the campaign, there’s plenty of time for Neptune to raise more funds for the Suite. However, as of now, it’s still something of a mystery as to how well any of the Suite’s devices will actually work.

It’s exciting to know that Neptune is forging ahead with its bold vision for the Hub and its companion screens. But it’s also entirely possible that by promising the full Suite before it's even released the already ambitious Duo, Neptune might be biting off more than it can chew.

Pure Android Bliss

I bought my Nexus 5 in January 2014 when I switched mobile carriers from Sprint to T-Mobile. The previous two Android phones I’d been using had left me extremely frustrated for one reason or another. The Samsung Galaxy 4G Epic, a QWERTY slider, ran Samsung’s TouchWiz’d interpretation of Android 2.2. It had buggy bloatware, crashed constantly, and for some reason, the phone’s GPS sensor liked to stop working just as I would start to drive to my destination.

After a year, I ditched it for an HTC Evo 4G LTE. This one ran Android 4.0.3, once again interpreted via the OEM’s custom user interface: Sense 4.0. That phone liked to decide that I shouldn’t be connected to Wi-Fi networks for longer than a few hours at a time. It would routinely drop Wi-Fi whether I’d asked it to or not. And, of course, frequent overheating and crashes.

The Nexus 5, by comparison, was a revelation, but only because it did what it was supposed to: It functioned. In fact, it still works great, having managed the transition from KitKat to Lollipop with aplomb.

The secret? Despite being built by LG, the Nexus 5—like all Nexus smartphones—runs pure Android. No filler, no LG-installed bloatware, no wonky software cluttering up the operating system Google wanted me to have. The result has been a phone that still works just as well today as it did over a year ago.

But while simply working was enough to justify my decision to buy it, the Nexus 5 has even more going for it than stable, functional software. It’s got the kind of perfect smartphone proportions and design that’s kept me from buying a Nexus 6.

The Goldilocks Of Smartphones

The Nexus 5’s 4.9-inch display is just about the perfect size. It’s big enough to watch TV shows and movies comfortably, but it’s not so big that I can’t use it one-handed. It also sports the 16:9 aspect ratio of most television sets, meaning that casting the screen to my TV looks exactly as it should, filling the whole screen.

The Nexus 5's 8 megapixel camera: perfect for pictures of jumping sleeping bags. And a dog

Its 8MP rear camera never won any awards, but it’s proven itself as a reliable shooter for whatever adventures I find myself on. The camera has also worked more than well enough to scan documents for my various research projects—working far better than my older Android phones ever did. Sure, I’d be happy with a more powerful camera, but I’ve also never been unhappy with the Nexus 5’s powers. Sometimes good enough is more than good enough.

The Nexus 5 was also the first Android phone I’ve owned that didn’t have expandable storage. While at first I thought that would be a big problem, I’ve managed to deal with its 16 GB of internal storage without any problems. Simply put, it’s just right. And the fact that I could buy it for only $399—a relative bargain in the world of mobile.

Hoping For A Nexus 5.2

The Nexus 6 definitely has its appeal, especially since it runs pure Android and improves on just about every other technical aspect of its predecessor. But its huge, $600 price tag and its similarly huge, 5.9-inch screen are both enough to keep me from ever buying one. I don’t need a smartphone that’s as big as my head.

But now that Google has finally discontinued the Nexus 5, I’m hoping it'll loop back around to the 5-inch size. As Apple has proved with its latest iPhone models, there’s room in the market for handsets of all sizes. For now, though, I’ll stick with my 2013-made Nexus 5 until it drops dead. Hopefully that won’t be for a long while.

Google has Google Now, Apple has Siri and Microsoft has Cortana—these personal digital assistants are playing an increasingly dominant role on mobile and desktop. Now researchers from the University of Michigan have unveiled an open-source alternative called Sirius, the latest of several similar open-source efforts along the same line.

Mobile phone makers, wearable startups and app developers could all potentially use Sirius to bring some instant smarts to their projects in the not-too-distant future, Jason Mars, one of the co-directors at U-M's Clarity Lab where the system has been developed, said in a video:

Unlike Google Now, Siri and Cortana, Sirius is free to use and can be customized as required by anyone interested in the technology. "Now the core technology is out of the bag, and we all have access to it," says Mars in a press statement. "Instead of making an app to run on the Apple Watch, for example, maybe I could make my own watch. We're very excited to see what the world comes together to build and learn with Sirius as a starting point."

The Sirius system comprises speech recognition, image matching, natural language processing and a question-and-answer mechanism powered by the cloud. It could, for example, answer the question "when does this place close?" when shown an image of a restaurant.

Being able to ask questions about what you're seeing is one of the unique features of Sirius, according to Clarity Lab doctoral student Johann Hauswald, and helps to differentiate it from similar open-source projects in the same area.

Those projects include Jasper, which can bring voice control to almost any device (such as the Raspberry Pi), and JuliusJS, which focuses on adding Siri-style commands to Web apps. Sirius goes further than both though, building on the basics of voice control to add natural language interpretation, intelligent responses and image recognition.

Data Center Architecture

Unlike Jasper or JuliusJS, Sirius does more than identify a voice command and act accordingly. It's also designed to push the boundaries of data center system architecture, providing an open source approach that other digital assistants can make use of in the years ahead as they become more knowledgeable, more capable, and more widespread.

The demo version of Sirius, which the team will show off on March 14 at an international technology conference, is based around a static version of Wikipedia. Users can ask factual questions and get answers back. The researchers will release the software code shortly after.

That database of Wikipedia entries could be swapped out for anything else a company likes: Academic research, auto repair manuals, cooking tips, a database of medicines, and so on.

The system was built by stitching together open source projects from various institutions and companies, including Microsoft Research and Qualcomm. Other firms and agencies—among them Google, ARM, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the National Science Foundation—provided funding,

Although Linux may not have much of the desktop PC market, it has the honor of running many of the world's servers and mainframes, and it's the foundation of Android. In the same way, the team behind Sirius wants their project to act as the bedrock of the digital assistants of the future.

Google’s upcoming wireless service—which will run on spectrum leased from the Sprint and T-Mobile networks—will be exclusive to Nexus 6 handset users to start, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. It's not entirely clear why that might be, although we’ve got a few ideas.

Nexus 6’s Motorola Pedigree

Motorola’s most recent smartphone offerings have been designed to work with Republic Wireless, a so-called mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO, that basically resells access to Sprint’s cellular network. Because Republic’s services rely on a mix of Wi-Fi-based calls and cellular, handsets like the Moto X, G, and E have software specifically built to handle such network switching.

The Moto X is designed to jump on Wi-Fi and cellular networks with ease.

Previous reports on Google’s wireless-service plans suggest it will also jump back and forth between Wi-Fi and cellular signals, just with T-Mobile’s networks added into the mix. As such, the Motorola-made Nexus 6 may be particularly well-suited to juggling multiple networks and Wi-Fi calling.

But if the ability to easily switch networks is the barrier of entry for trying out Google’s forthcoming wireless service, why aren’t those other Moto handsets being included in the initial test? Google isn't saying much on the subject (see update below), but that hasn't stopped me from making some guesses.

Staying Small, Even On Big Phones

For answers, we might need to look at another potentially revolutionary Google initiative: Google Fiber. The high-speed, affordably priced Internet service dots areas around the country. If Google were to set its mind to rolling out Fiber in every metro in America, it would certainly disrupt the hold ISPs have over their consumers.

But by keeping Fiber small, Google provides a blueprint to Internet providers about how things could be. The idea, it seems, is to spur innovation.

The same idea basically informs the Nexus device line itself. Despite partnering with popular OEMs like Samsung, LG, and most-recently Motorola, Nexus handsets can sometimes be tough to find. That’s been a particular problem with the Nexus 6, with the Google Play Store having only one of the four versions of the phone in stock.

Widespread adoption isn’t the point, however. Nexus phones run stock Android, with no frills or bloatware pre-installed. The devices show Google’s partners how Android smartphones ought to be.

Google’s wireless service might be following the same playbook, with an extremely limited and slow rollout. (No one yet seems to have any idea where Google might actually offer the service.) It's a way to show other carriers “how it’s done” and to spur them to innovate themselves. It might also inspire other smartphone makers to take a page from Motorola in terms of its network-switching software.

Whatever the reason, Nexus 6 owners may have a shot at trying out the new service by the end of March. As for when or where—or even if—the service will be available to other users, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Update, 6:50pm PT: A Google spokesperson responded to my inquiry, saying, "We're not commenting on speculation here. All I can say is that per [Google senior vice president Sundar Pichai's] comments this week at MWC, we'll be announcing more details about the project in the coming months."

The group introduced its latest devices this week at Mobile World Congress—the Blackphone 2 smartphone and its first tablet, currently dubbed Blackphone+. But what was really on display was the company’s uncanny knack for turning a well-publicized security flub into a win.

Meet Blackphone 2 And Blackphone+

As far as upgrades go, the 5.5-inch Blackphone 2 looks like a decent successor to last year’s original 4.7-inch Blackphone.

Like most second-generation phones, version 2 offers several hardware improvements, including a faster 64-bit 8-core processor, more memory (3GB), a bigger battery and a larger display. The phone also ties into Citrix's Mobile Device Management, so IT departments can manage employees’ company-supplied or BYO (“bring your own”) phones. Blackphone 2 is priced at $630 (unlocked) and slated for a July release. Soon after, it will be joined by the company’s first tablet, the 7-inch Blackphone+, sometime this fall.

The original Blackphone (left) and Blackphone 2 exhibition unit (right)

Both run Blackphone’s PrivatOS software, a variation on Android designed as an extra layer of protection between users and the big, bad outside world. When apps unnecessarily ask for personal data, like contacts or location, Blackphone can intercept the request, blocking or obscuring it. The software can even fool the app into thinking the user granted access, even if he or she didn't.

“You can take an Android device, you can root it, introduce [similar] features, and after months, you can have something like Blackphone,” said Javier Agüera, Blackphone’s founder and now a chief scientist at Silent Circle. “Or you can have an out-of-the-box device, with everything set up by security specialists, that’s enterprise ready and configured the way you need it.”

PrivatOS boasts new virtualization feature called “Spaces,” which offers separate “work” and “personal” modes, the ability to add profiles and an app store vetted by Blackphone. The technology's encryption protocols also save keys on the device itself, not some unknown remote server. The phone's price includes two years of security services that guards against unsafe WiFi networks, private browsing, and secure cloud file storage.

Sounds like a lot of protection, at least, it's more than most users are accustomed to getting. It all goes back to Blackphone's mission: The company wants to safeguard people. It seems sincere—even though a hacker actually did manage to breach those walls last year.

Turning Hackers Into BFs

PrivatOS running on last year's model

At hacking convention DefCon last year, CTO Jon “Justin” Sawyer of Applied Cybersecurity LLC told Blackphone that he managed to get past its security to root its device. What’s more, he tweeted the exploit, which landed on BlackBerry sites and other tech blogs.

Sawyer found a couple of weak spots in the software, including a hole in the remote wipe feature that let the security expert access the device and grant himself system privileges. He was able to give himself access to core parts of the phone. But what gets less attention, the execs said, is that the company had already patched the hole.

Sawyer essentially attacked an old, outdated version of the software. Even so, the incident and publicity could have humiliated Blackphone right out of the market. It didn't. Instead, the company is milking it.

The team thanked Sawyer for the discovery and sent him a bottle of wine. Then it enlisted others to scope out any other vulnerabilities.

According to Vic Hyder, Silent Circle’s chief strategy officer, Blackphone recently launched a bug bounty program to reward people for finding security glitches—from $128 to more, depending on the severity. (Bounties are fairly common in the tech industry; even big companies like Facebook, Google and Microsoft offer rewards to bug hunters.)

“[It] makes them part of the solution, instead of part of the problem,” Hyder said. "It brings everybody in as a participant.” Even Sawyer, now a friend of Blackphone, helps out by looking for other vulnerabilities. The company publishes all of its source code, to help make it easier for people to find holes.

So far, Hyder estimates that the company has paid out about $15,000 to $20,000 in bounties.

Throwing Shade

"Nothing is hack-proof,” admits Daniel Ford, chief security officer.

However, he says his company can help guard against certain types of attacks. “Targeted attacks are completely different than mass surveillance,” he said.” There’s little Blackphone or anyone can do against the former, such as last year’s breach at Sony Pictures—which may have been a specific retaliation for The Interview, a comedy that poked fun at North Korea.

Sony's "The Interview" made fun of North Korea's regime, which may have been responsible for hacking the movie studio.

Ultimately, if a hacker wants your data badly enough—whether it’s a criminal or a NSA agent—he or she has innumerable tools that can help get it. No platform can hold up against that, he explained.

But when it comes to broader mass surveillance, Ford said Blackphone can step in and offer more protection. "This is where our commitment is: If there is a vulnerability that was disclosed publicly, we will fix it in less than 72 hours,” he said. “We have done so every time. That is our goal … the last time, it took only 6 hours.”

"Samsung had two critical vulnerabilities that was released two weeks ago,” he added, calling out one of his archrivals in the enterprise market, albeit for a vulnerability in its TV business. Still, he couldn't resist poking at Samsung's overall attitude toward security: "They have not even started to address it,” he said.

The latest model is almost a dead ringer for the original, except that the previous swappable backplates have transformed into color bands lining the outside of the phone. It also boasts 4G LTE, a larger display and a price of $150, unlocked.

It's a bump in price over the original, but it’s still the company’s best “cheap” smartphone to date. Let’s take a quick tour.

The “E” Stands For Evolution

The new Moto E continues the design philosophy the company established last year with its first version. It still offers a rounded backing that rests comfortably in the hand and just enough heft to feel substantial. Customers get a choice of bumper bands in 6 colors to adorn the handset, which comes in black or white. (Larger "grip shell” cases are also available.)

Though the old and new devices look similar, the current generation boasts a few other improvements—namely faster connectivity, storage and screen size.

The new model now offers 4G LTE connectivity and a faster Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor, along with a boost in storage (8GB built-in, instead of last year's 4GB). There’s no big upgrade in resolution, which still sits at 540 x 960 pixels, but that's not entirely surprising given the price. But at least the display is a bit bigger now, sized at 4.5 inches instead of 4.3 inches.

The cameras also got updates, with a new 5-megapixel rear shooter with autofocus and a VGA front camera. New features include Quick Capture, a gesture-based shutter feature that snaps a photo when you twist your wrist, and Active Display, which wakes the screen when you yank it out of your pocket. It’s all powered by Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Obviously these details pale in comparison to advanced flagship devices, but not everyone needs the biggest, beastliest phone just to call, text or check Facebook. For the money, this well-built phone offers respectable specs. But if $150 is still too rich for your blood, the company offers a 3G variant for $119.

The Big Business Of Budget Phones

As it becomes harder and harder for phone makers to distinguish themselves in advanced smartphones, companies like Samsung, LG, Sony and HTC seem to be pushing harder in the budget market. They're effectively hedging their bets by spraying the wall with a range of options.

If stand-out innovation proves too elusive, phone manufacturers can make more use of the expertise they already have. That can be a win for consumers when it means stuffing better specs and features into lower-priced devices. For companies, meanwhile, a wider array of phones can help broaden their reach in developing markets and among people just buying their first smartphones.

It also keeps their mobile business alive, as sexier technologies that use those phones as hubs—to smarten up cars, homes and wrists—push ever closer to the mainstream. That potential hasn't eluded Motorola, which makes one of the hottest Android Wear devices on the market, the Moto 360.

Motorola hopes to succeed by offering well-made devices that offer a "purer" Android experience and keeping the customizations limited to the handset design. Given the high marks its Moto E line earns, that tactic appears to be working. New parent Lenovo must be thrilled.

The Moto E launches today in more than 50 countries in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia.

Steve Perlman’s startup Artemis is finally going to try and prove it can build a better, faster wireless network in tech-centric San Francisco. The project will be the first large-scale test of a potentially transformative—yet so far almost entirely hypothetical—technology Artemis calls pCell.

If Artemis can make good on its claims, it could upend the wireless industry as we know it. If not—well, it'll have a hard time explaining away its failure.

I Left My Signal in San Francisco

According to the Artemis announcement, Dish Network will lease a portion of its mobile spectrum in San Francisco, which the satellite TV provider purchased at auction last year. Over the next two years, Artemis will deploy pCell transmitters around the city, creating a new next-generation network designed to provide a “leapfrog in spectral efficiency,” as the company’s latest white paper says.

Artemis says many existing cellphones will be able to tap into the new network just by swapping in Artemis SIM cards, including the latest batch of iPhones and most new Android handsets. Of course, it hasn't yet said anything about how much it (or Dish) will charge for such a network, or how its users will be able to stay connected outside of San Francisco.

We first heard about Artemis and its vaunted pCell wireless technology about a year ago. The company says that its system differs from traditional cellular networks by exploiting the interference that comes when a large number of signals collide, rather than trying to minimize it.

Normally, such interference leads to cellular dead zones. Artemis, however, says its transmitters will combine “interfering radio waves to create an unshared personal cell (a ‘pCell’) for each LTE device, providing the full wireless capacity to each user at once, even at extremely high user density” (emphasis in the original).

So far, pCell tests have been successful during indoor, highly controlled tests. Whether or not pCell can succeed in the real world remains to be seen.

Fool Me Once …

Artemis’s founder and CEO Steve Perlman is making some pretty bold claims with pCell, and you could be forgiven for viewing them skeptically. After all, Perlman’s previous ventures haven’t exactly worked out according to plan: He founded WebTV back in 1995, and later created the online game streaming service OnLive in 2003. Both companies turned out to be flops, with OnLive experiencing a spectacular flameout in 2012.

Artemis founder and CEO Steve Perlman

But while Perlman's startup track record may be less than stellar, both Internet-based television and cloud-based game streaming are huge today. You could look at WebTV and OnLive as ventures that were simply way ahead of their time.

That said, at the time Perlman made promises of technological viability that neither business could keep. Now we'll get to see if Artemis and pCell continues that pattern—or makes a radical new break with it.

Yahoo courted app makers hard at its first Mobile Developers Conference in San Francisco on Thursday. CEO Marissa Mayer joined with Flurry CEO Simon Khalaf and several lead members of the Flurry team to tempt mobile developers with analytics and advertising tools.

The pitch: Develop with Yahoo, and we’ll give you everything you need to make money.

Toward that end, the company announced a new mobile developer suite—a set of tools that pulls in Flurry analytics, a new dashboard for basic or fine-grained app queries, easy and efficient one-click data sharing, and, of course, mobile advertisements pushing native ads and video ads.

This showcase for profit-making potential was a logical conclusion of Yahoo’s buying spree, having picked up BrightRoll for video ad placements and mobile analytics firm Flurry. Combined with Yahoo Gemini, its mobile-ad platform, they formed a triumvirate powering Yahoo’s bid to deliver on its promise of becoming a “mobile-first” company.

What's Inside The Box

The suite boils down to a few key components. Flurry data analytics and the Explorer console offer a way for developers to explore their app’s data in real time. There's also Flurry Pulse, a tool that lets developers share data with partners of their choice "with one click of a button,” said Prashant Fuloria, Yahoo’s mobile advertising honcho who was chief product officer for Flurry.

The kit also provides tools for app publishing, Yahoo search in apps and Yahoo app marketing, as well as the ability to tie into digital measurement tools by new partner comScore.

The overarching theme stands in stark contrast to other developer events that hinge on the cool, interesting features app makers can offer their users (á la Apple) or a broad sweep of front and backend changes that make building apps easier and faster (as Google can offer via Android).

By contrast, Yahoo's singular power play focuses laser-like on revenue, in the apparent assumption that pitching the company's ability to help line the pockets of app builders will be the sexier message.

BlackBerry's newest smartphones will return to a major carrier's stores at the end of this week. Starting February 20, AT&T will begin offering the company’s Passport and Classic on contract, as well as through installment plans.

Despite efforts by carriers to wean consumers off phone subsidies, in the American market, cheap phones sold under contracts—or, more recently, on installment plans—are the bulk of the market. Faced with lackluster sales of its Q10 and Z10, BlackBerry basically sat out the most recent sales cycle, with no carrier offering subsidized sales.

Getting back into AT&T's good graces means it’s “go time” for BlackBerry's latest phones. They’ve only been available at unsubsidized retail prices directly from BlackBerry and on Amazon.com.

The stakes could be high for BlackBerry. Because if neither phone succeeds at this point, it’s not clear they ever will.

A Duo Of BlackBerries

The Passport is the closest thing BlackBerry has to a phablet, with a squared-off 4.5-inch display and a relatively long-lasting battery. The AT&T version trims a bit off the corners, making them rounder, though the rather funky QWERTY keyboard remains the same.

I found the Passport to be a strange device. It's slightly larger than a terra-cotta tile, but thicker. The screen presents an odd viewing scenario, as most online videos do not naturally fit that square-ish shape. It also comes with an unconventionally laid-out keyboard that seems almost intentionally designed for typos.

I had higher hopes for the Classic, which more closely resembles a traditional BlackBerry. The company sent me a unit to check out, and after using it for a few weeks, I found some highs and lows with the device. I was surprised at how much I missed the feeling of a physical keyboard. BlackBerry’s traditional QWERTY is a standout—even now, when it has few competitors left. Banging out messages felt oddly satisfying, since I could mash those keys without having to look at my fingers.

BlackBerry Classic

The downside: The space dedicated to the keyboard dictates a smaller touch display of 3.5 inches. Overall, the device itself feels slightly thicker and heavier than the old, lightweight BlackBerry phones of yore, like the Torch or Bold.

Both devices support BlackBerry messaging and offer Hub, the company’s take on a unified message center. It makes sense conceptually, but in practical application, the swirl of messages—from Facebook and Twitter to work email and personal texts—can feel a bit messy lumped in together. It doesn’t help that BlackBerry doesn't always accurately track whether or not you've read them.

The Passport and Classic manage to sidestep the matter of BlackBerry's meager app selection. They do this by running Android apps in addition to BlackBerry apps, which greatly expands what they can do.

But it’s not a perfect solution. The Android apps come courtesy of Amazon’s app store, not Google Play, which means some major apps—including several Google services—just aren’t available.

Are They A Dynamic Duo?

The Passport will only be available on AT&T as an exclusive. The phone will sell for $0 down at a range of installment options—from $21 to $32 depending on the AT&T Next plan. The two-year contract price will be $200, with off-contract pricing at $650.

The Classic will cost less, going for $0 down and monthly payments of $14 to $21 on AT&T Next, or a contract price of just $50. Customers can also purchase the device from the carrier outright for $420. The Classic won’t be an AT&T-only gadget. Other carriers, including Verizon, have stated their intention to carry the device, though details have yet to emerge.

BlackBerry’s best shot at success may lie with the Classic, whose attractive price point and terrific keyboard naturally sets it apart. But even if you can get over the tinier screen, the app selection and message handling still feels like a work in progress.

Perhaps that’s what it was intended to be. Mobile World Congress, a big, annual industry event, will kick off in two weeks. BlackBerry is expected to reveal its next steps then. These could involve an evolution of sorts for whichever device has captured the public’s fancy (and dollars) more. Or, if it should face lagging sales, the company may decide to push its work-oriented initiatives—like that still-fresh partnership with Samsung over Android security.

Either way, this may be a make-or-break moment for the company, and what happens in the next few weeks could determine its path for the foreseeable future.

Xiaomi, the tech titan that spurs a crazy load of fandom in Asia, just announced its first outreach to American consumers. Too bad that won’t include its popular line of phones.

At a press event in San Francisco on Thursday, the Chinese electronics company revealed that its Mi.com e-commerce portal will roll out for the U.S. and other markets very soon. “We’re going to launch when we’re ready," Xiaomi VP Hugo Barra said, "and that will likely be in a time frame of a few months.”

Available in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Portugal, Malaysia, the Philippines, India, Indonesia and (soon) Brazil, Mi.com is a pivotal part of Xiaomi’s business strategy. The site provides high-end smartphones and other goods at low prices via direct-to-consumer sales.

Co-founder Bin Lin bragged that his company sold more than 61 million units last year, and serves more than 100 million worldwide users of its MIUI software, an Android-based smartphone operating system. Unfortunately, Xiaomi's hugely popular phones won’t be part of the Mi.com picture in America any time soon. The site will sell lower-ticket electronics and goods, like headphones, wearable devices and mobile batteries.

There’s something even more important than choice of inventory, however—an American roll-out of Mi.com helps establish a supply pipeline here and gives the company some interaction with the U.S. market. This suggests the company is setting the stage for a deeper relationship down the road.

When that might be, however, is anything but certain.

What's Holding Xiaomi Back

Xiaomi's Bin Lin

Often referred to as “The Apple of China” due to the striking similarities some of its products have to iPhones and iPads, Xiaomi has numerous hurdles to clear before it can bring its smartphones to these shores. Patent law is a big one.

According to Forbes, Xiaomi made 2,318 filings last year, with plans for tens of thousands more in the works. At the moment, though, the company owns few patents of its own. That makes it complicated to enter the smartphone market in nations like the U.S., where patent protection is strong, licenses are expensive and Xiaomi has few of its own patents to bargain with.

Lin also cited the way the consumer cellular business works here as a major challenge. Customers in many other parts of the world are used to paying full retail prices, but in the U.S., people typically sign up for two-year contracts with mobile carriers, which then subsidize part of the handset cost.

That’s slowly starting to change, thanks to installment-plan models by T-Mobile and others, but it’s still not the predominant way people buy phones here. The company also wants to preserve its direct relationships with customers (or “fans,” as Bin puts it) without any extra layers or go-betweens.

These factors and others represent enormous hurdles for Xiaomi. The company relies on slim margins, so it can sell high-end phones cheaply. Going through carriers or paying out for licensing rights and patent filings could make that tough to maintain.

Xiaomi, mi band

But it's pretty clear that the company has more in mind than just selling earbuds or step trackers in the U.S. The company hired Android boss Hugo Barra away from U.S.-based Google. It also made the Mi Note smartphone available to American tech journalists to play with—even though it comes with beta software geared toward Chinese users. And, of course, its primary e-commerce portal will roll out here very soon.

"The amount of effort required to bring those products to the market is an incredible amount of work,” Barra said. "We’re accelerating our entering by bringing simpler products.” Translation: If you want one of Xiaomi's Mi Note or Mi Note Pro smartphones, or a Mi Pad tablet, you’ll have to look elsewhere.

As Samsung prepares for its next Unpacked event ahead of Mobile World Congress in a few weeks, rumors abound about what the company will announce. Almost certainly, it will be the new Galaxy S6 smartphone, the much-rumored flagship that may be Samsung’s best chance at a comeback for its mobile business.

The latest rumor, courtesy of Bloomberg, has the Galaxy maker readying two versions: one standard 5-inch model and another with multiple screens flanking the device on three sides. Noting how the 5.7-inch Note 4 won high marks for ditching cheap plastic with fake metal trim and going with real aluminum, now Samsung will reportedly build its new pair of S6 devices with all-metal bodies.

If true, these could be what Jin Young Park, Samsung’s vice president of mobile communications, was talking about last month when he addressed investors. “We are preparing innovative and differentiated products with new features,” the executive said, according to Recode. In other words, these changes could be Samsung’s "hail mary” play to inject new life into its foundering mobility business.

Forget Bigger Displays— How About Multiples?

Samsung announcing the Galaxy Note Edge in 2014

Samsung was once the leading maker of smartphones. Now the South Korean company is scrambling to salvage its troubled mobile division—which is somewhat embarrassing, considering it popularized the hot mobile product category of phablets to begin with.

As Samsung flails, Apple rides high on the success of its largest iPhones yet, which rocketed it to the top as the first company with a market value topping $700 billion. That’s not all. Even more competition looms on the horizon, as Chinese tech giant Xiaomi prepares to spread its dominance in Asia to other regions, including North America.

In other words, the South Korean company needs to pull off a smash hit—and fast.

Samsung’s Unpacked invitations, which prominently showed off a curve of some sort, fueled expectations for a S6 Edge, like a 5-inch variation of the 5.7-inch original released last year.

A smaller version of an existing phone hardly seems exciting. Now, with the notion of a dual-edged flagship phone with a primary display and two edge-mounted ticker screens, things get a little more interesting, if a bit wacky.

For instance, the actual usefulness of this design is still not very clear. How, exactly, are you supposed to hold this phone without setting off various actions? But developers found the original Edge kind of intriguing, and that seems to prompt Samsung into gambling that more of the same—more edges!—can drive adoption by app makers and potential customers.

The move might make more sense for Samsung than it seems. The company is a major player in display technology, and it made the first Edge and its curved-glass ticker. Now it may literally double down on that experience and expertise. Bloomberg reports that the secondary and tertiary displays would sit on the right and left sides of the phone.

Meanwhile CNET Korea posted a leaked image from “sources at a South Korean electronics distributor” that show, not one or two, but as many as five different variations of the smartphone. Notably, the S6 Edge pictured shows only a single ticker screen on the right side, like the original Note Edge. The dual-ticker version is nowhere to be seen.

Throwing a slew of variations at the market seems to fit into Samsung’s typical M.O. Perhaps desperation to stop the bleed from its smartphone business is fueling even more frenzied experimentation.

If Samsung can make a hit out of the new S6 Edge, whether with one or two extra displays, that could help reverse its flagging fortunes, particularly since the device would likely fetch a higher price, too. The first Note Edge launched with a base price of $400 on contract.

With luck, Samsung will shave some of that price down this time around. Otherwise, the high cost could render this phone dead on arrival, and its sibling may not help matters. Based on what we know (or think we know) so far, the traditional single-screen device just doesn’t offer any stand-out features to set it apart.

A better and more “intelligent” camera sounds nice, especially if it really can “do all the thinking for users, allowing them to take amazing pictures under any conditions,” as Samsung's Senior Vice President Dong Hoon Jang wrote in an official blog post. But it’s not clear that could deliver the major hit the tech company needs.

There’s only one certainty now: All eyes will be on the Unpacked event in Barcelona. It will either be remembered as the kick-off to the mother of all comeback stories, or a footnote in the sad, ongoing tale of the tech giant’s mobile decline.

Samsung did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Unpacked invitation graphic courtesy of Samsung; screenshot of Samsung press event and all other photos by Adriana Lee for ReadWrite

After the kludgey mess of iOS 8’s buggy updates and the swarm of negative user sentiment they triggered, Apple has reportedly gone all out to make the next version of its mobile operating software rock solid.

According to sources cited by 9to5Mac, Apple engineers made bug fixes a “huge” priority in iOS 9. Instead of throwing all of their effort into new features, they concentrated on nixing the main issues that plagued the previous version—namely bugs, erratic performance and file sizes that choked software updates or forced users to delete data to make room.

None of those problems should plague iOS 9 (or, at least, so Apple hopes). Because there’s a lot at stake with this update—including its upcoming smartwatch and the fate of Apple’s last 4-inch phone.

You Can’t Build On A Shaky Foundation

Apple software updates come in different shapes and sizes, from mere bug fixes to the bigger introduction of all-new functions—like support for Apple Pay and HealthKit features, both launched among iOS 8’s rapid-fire releases.

Too bad the software updates were often frustrating to install and, once running, frequently glitchy. As device performance tanked, so did Apple’s reputation for simplicity and ease of use.

If the latest report is true, then it's clearly Apple’s attempt to restore some good faith in its users—which may be key during a year that will launch a new, $350 Apple Watch into the market. No one wants to spend a large chunk of change on an unproven gizmo that hinges on glitchy software.

iOS 9: Bad News For Apple Phablet Haters?

That’s not to say iOS 9 will merely be a glorified patch. The next major update could fill in other gaps in Apple's software ecosystem, including transit information and indoor maps.

As for improving stability and performance, 9to5Mac notes that the task could be easier if Apple retires its older devices. For instance, if the iPhone 5c, first iPad mini, and fifth-generation iPod touch get the old heave-ho this year, there would be no dusty older gadgets to keep humming. The devices left would be newer ones with advanced processors, allowing iOS 9 engineers to focus on getting the most out of modern 64-bit A7 and A8 processors.

That would be great news for owners of later-model iPhones, iPads and iPod touches, as well as the new Apple Watch. But it would also mean there’s only one option remaining for people who don’t want a phablet: the iPhone 5S.

Put another way, iOS 9’s release could mark the beginning of the end for the last 4-inch Apple smartphone. Hopefully the software update will be worth it.

App marketplaces have exploded. Apps have taken over as the preferred destination of mobile users, who now spend 86% of their time on them, compared to just 14 percent on websites. The numbers suggest that dedicated mobile software offers the most optimal way of engaging users.

Mobile applications have come a long way since 1998, when a mobile version of the classic video game, Snake, arrived. Preinstalled on Nokia 6110 phones, the app had users navigating a “snake” of monochromatic, blocky pixels on their screens. Now apps will need more than that to carve out a permanent place on home screens. They'll have to contend with a long list of consumer expectations.

Here are six priorities app developers should focus on.

1. Win the Performance Race

In the world of mobile apps, speed sells. On-the-go users don’t want to wait for apps to load or updates to install, and they don’t care if an app’s sudden popularity creates a bandwidth bottleneck. They just want it to load quickly and work smoothly.

In worst-case scenarios, users simply delete poorly performing apps. In fact, according to a survey by Compuware, 59% say they would drag an app to the trash if it’s too slow. Others find ways around the app—for instance, some savvy Facebook and Twitter users find that the websites often outperform those apps on speed and performance.

2. End Wild Goose Chases

When it comes to app design, less is more. Often times, apps that have been praised for their design are laid out logically and simply, and they perform how users expect them to. When users click on a menu, they have a reasonable idea of where they will end up, without having to guess where to find what they’re looking for.

It’s critically important that developers get the design right. According to an EPiServer poll, as many as 47% of users will delete an app if it's too difficult to use. That’s exactly what many iPhone users did back in 2012, when the iOS 6 software came equipped with a “disaster” called Apple Maps. The app was so difficult to use and inaccurate that it even spawned the Tumblr page, “The Amazing iOS 6 Maps,” which collected screenshots of Apple Maps glitches. Many iPhone users turned to Google Maps and then stayed there.

3. Keep The Same Experience, No Matter The Device

Some users spring for in-app purchases in a tablet app—like a new game character or extra features—only to find that the upgrade doesn't carry over to the same app on their phones. Or they start listening to a podcast on an iPhone, only to waste time on the iPad version to find where they left off.

A user should be able to easily jump back and forth between different versions of the same apps on different devices, without feeling like they are starting from scratch. Unfortunately, these types of performance problems are only going to become more prevalent and frustrating for users as more people switch between multiple devices. In fact, Cisco estimates that there will be 1.4 mobile devices per person by 2018.

Switching devices should be easy—like changing lanes on a highway. You may be in a different lane, but you’re still on the same journey. App users crave that same type of experience, and it’s up to app developers to ensure that the user journey stays consistent across devices.

Vampire apps eat up battery life, rack up data charges and dramatically impact overall device and app performance. Users can take steps to mitigate those effects. They can reduce data usage and battery drain by turning off location services or by using Wi-Fi instead of mobile network services whenever possible. New apps like Normal, which crowdsources information about how apps deplete battery life, also help. But ultimately, it shouldn't be up to the consumer to make up for these failings.

App developers need to find ways to minimize data usage and streamline processing to improve performance and battery life.

5. Remember Murphy’s Law

If an app's function doesn’t perform as expected, users will be sure to zoom in on it. Some will complain about it to friends. Others will give the app a one-star review or even delete it altogether.

Let’s say you have a car rental app. It displays all available vehicles' make, model and year in a beautiful map of your surroundings. That’s all very helpful—but what if, because of unreliable network connectivity, the app can't actually book it? Or a glitch stopped the confirmation email from coming through, leaving you unsure if the request was received. Sounds like a fairly minor failure, but it leaves users with no confidence in the app.

6. Play Nicely with Other Apps

The apps with the richest performing experiences don't stubbornly trap users in one environment. Instead, they interact with each other, so users won't have to duplicate their actions or zigzag between stock apps—even if they do roughly the same thing.

For instance, Instagram users are probably happy that they can have all of their pictures automatically saved to the “Photos” application on their iPhone. They can apply Instagram filters before posting it on the network, or share the original, unedited versions with friends who don’t use Instagram.

Strong app performance isn’t just about how an app functions in a vacuum—app developers have to think about how their app fits into the larger ecosystem, as this is how users will derive true value.

App-ortunity Knocks

If you could send a new iPhone 6 owner back in time to 1998 to play Snake, he or she wouldn’t describe the game as fast, easy to use, responsive, interactive or compatible with other apps. But as technology has evolved, so, too, have user expectations.

For developers to live up to them, they need to understand that optimal app performance hinges on how well data is managed on the back end. If app makers need to think about how they can apply intelligent data distribution to make apps more lightweight, they can ensure that the data traveling across the network isn’t redundant or out-of-date.

The backend is invisible to users, so they may not know whether apps are designed using intelligent data distribution. But they will notice when apps don't perform as expected.

The saga of last year's privacy controversy over Verizon’s user-tracking behavior continues on. The latest chapter involves the wireless carrier magnanimously deciding Friday to let subscribers opt out of the program, the New York Times reported.

Not that the idea came purely from the goodness of its heart. As the NYT noted, the decision came less than a day after the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation wrote to Verizon’s chief executive, Lowell C. McAdam, to question his company’s behavior.

Next thing you know, Verizon agreed to let people jump off the good ship “Privacy Fail.”

Shhhh! We’re Tracking You

The fiasco started last year, when a tweet by the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Jacob Hoffman-Andrews pointed out Verizon’s user-tracking tactics—primarily because few, if any, people realized what the wireless operator was doing.

Hoffman-Andrews cited an Ad Age article about Verizon's advertising business that mentioned the company’s use of PrecisionID, a tool developed by Verizon’s data marketer, Precision Market Insights. Its website describes PrecisionID as “a deterministic identifier matched to devices on Verizon’s wireless network powering data-driven marketing and addressable advertising solutions…”

The system works by tacking on snippets of code—sometimes called “perma-cookies” or “supercookies”—to mobile traffic headers moving through Verizon's cellular network. This “UIDH” identifier allows the carrier to track its subscribers' mobile browsing activity for advertising purposes. Ad Age’s Mark Bergen wrote, "Precision packages the request as a hashed, aggregated and anonymous unique identifier, and turns it into a lucrative chunk of data for advertisers.”

In a Google AdSense world, user-tracking may not seem that outrageous. The difference: Google makes no secret of its ad-targeting behavior, and people knowingly accept those terms in order to use the search giant's free services. Verizon Wireless subscribers pay (sometimes hefty) subscription fees, but they apparently didn’t know they were being tracked.

Instead, they became unwitting participants in a program whose security remains in question. As the NYT points out, Verizon must secure those unique identifiers or supercookies, to ensure external attackers can’t get their hands on them.

Verizon "Takes Privacy Seriously" (Kinda)

Even if people knew about the program, they would have had no way out until now. The company offered no mechanism to decline participation, like it does with other advertising initiatives. It makes sense, in some ways. If no one knows they’re being tracked, where’s the need? Another possibility: Putting something out there might trigger unwanted attention, and Verizon only puts it out there because it’s forced to now.

That is, of course, not the way the carrier positions its decision. According to its latest press statement:

Verizon takes customer privacy seriously and it is a central consideration as we develop new products and services. As the mobile advertising ecosystem evolves, and our advertising business grows, delivering solutions with best-in-class privacy protections remains our focus.

We listen to our customers and provide them the ability to opt out of our advertising programs. We have begun working to expand the opt-out to include the identifier referred to as the UIDH, and expect that to be available soon. As a reminder, Verizon never shares customer information with third parties as part of our advertising programs.

The announcement looks like a concession, and a minor one at that. Because if it was serious about privacy, then Verizon would have made user-tracking opt-in, i.e. turned off by default and only activated with consent. Instead, the program is opt-out, indicating it may be turned on by default. That would put the onus on users to be aware and proactive enough shut it down.

Earlier in January, the Electronic Frontier Foundation began a petition against Verizon and Turn, a partner that makes digital marketing software. The digital rights group seeks punitive federal action for the lack of consumer disclosures over the tracking activity. The petition received more than 2,000 signatures as of Friday.

Microsoft has been pushing to extend the reach of its Office productivity software to iPhones and iPads, as well as a preview version for Android tablets. (The latter now loses the "preview" label, graduating to a full release.) Meanwhile, the company also gave Windows mobile users Office apps and its own version of the email and calendar software. The lack of Outlook apps for iOS and Android, the world's most popular mobile platforms, seemed like a huge gaping hole.

Like Outlook, Acompli combined email, appointments, contacts and an attachment manager into one app, so users don’t have to bounce between separate, incompatible applications. Microsoft acquired Acompli last December, and appears to have wasted no time in slapping a new name on it and pushing it out the door. Here’s what you need to know.

Building A Better Outlook: Mission Acompli'ed

There’s no question that Outlook on the desktop is a powerhouse email client. On Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android platforms, however, it looked like a power failure.

The Microsoft program has been dominant on the desktop literally for decades—which is no surprise, since it comes bundled with versions of Microsoft Office. But before Thursday, Outlook on iPhones and Androids existed mostly as glorified Web apps for Office 365 users or via numerous third-party Outlook alternatives.

Most of the choices paled in comparison to full-fledged Outlook, but one managed to do better. Launched less than a year ago, Acompli garnered immediate rave reviews after its April 2014 release and quickly became a hit—so much so that Microsoft itself couldn’t resist scooping it up.

For the startup, the deal gave it access to "over a billion Office users,” Javier Soltero, co-founder of Acompli and now general manager for Outlook, wrote on the Microsoft Office blog. It also allowed for "tighter integration with Office and [the official] Outlook, the most popular desktop email app on the planet.”

The new Outlook is a dead ringer for the old Acompli, an app I’ve been using on the iPhone for several months now. In that time, three features have stood out for me: choice of Web browsers, priority message filtering and the attachment viewer.

I can choose Chrome as the default Web browser for email or document links, instead of Safari. The "focused inbox" for priority messages may not be perfect at picking out important emails, but it's helpful enough to be handy. The app also offers a handy attachment viewer that integrates with cloud storage providers such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Box and, of course, Microsoft's OneDrive service.

All of these features remain in the new app. At least for now. However, Microsoft plans to make a lot of changes, and in rapid fire.

"For our Acompli users, Outlook will be a familiar experience, as we’re developing the apps from this code base," the Official Microsoft Blog states. "You will see us continue to rapidly update the Outlook app, delivering on the familiar Outlook experience our customers know and love.”

In other words, Microsoft wants the former Acompli app to resemble the Outlook experience, and it's in a hurry to get it there. How much of a hurry became plain when Julia White, Microsoft’s general manager of Office, told the Verge, "We have been and we’ll continue to update the app weekly."

Those updates will likely lead to heavier emphasis on the company’s own offerings. Hopefully that won't come at the expense of integration with Google Drive or other external cloud storage services.

Super Email Busting Powers

When it comes to email on Acompli—er, Outlook—support for Gmail, Yahoo and iCloud, as well as Microsoft's own Outlook.com and Exchange, won’t go anywhere. In fact, it would benefit Microsoft to link up with as many major email providers as possible, to keep users relying on the app.

Outlook also offers one of the most popular email features these days: Like with Google’s Inbox, Dropbox’s Mailbox and the now-defunct Acompli, users can swipe to schedule, archive or delete.

The finger-flinging really slaps a jetpack on the act of zipping through piles of email messages, which should appeal to the businesses and workers that form Microsoft's key user base.

Serving businesses has always been a primary focus for Microsoft, which has seen competition heat up in this area—most recently by Amazon, which just introduced its own WorkMail service. White said, “we’ll be rounding out the really important business and organizational capability of the app too,” though she didn’t elaborate on what exactly that means yet. But with weekly updates, we may not have long to find out.

For now, Outlook for iOS and a preview for Android are both available for download. Early user reviews seem solid for the iPhone version, and generally positive on Android, though apparently some people report various bugs. That’s understandable, given that the preview app is essentially an early beta-type release.

The user interface supports 30 languages, and the apps require iOS 8.0 and higher, or Android 4.0 and above. To check them out, visit the Apple App Store or Google Play, or play the promo video embedded below.

Lead photo by Adriana Lee for ReadWrite; all others courtesy of Microsoft

Suppose the only way to get to this article—yes, the one you're reading—was to first visit readwrite.com and then trust that you could locate it using the site's navigation tools. Odds are good that you'd be somewhere else right now.

Instead, you probably followed a link shared on Twitter, passed along in email or even displayed here on ReadWrite. That "deep link" made it possible for you to zip right to this page, the same way you can visit just about anywhere on the Web with a single click. Deep links make the Web what it is; they're so deeply ingrained in our online understanding that we take them for granted.

At least on the desktop, that is. Mobile is a different story. Most mobile apps live in their own silos, and offer no way to directly access photos, stories, messages and other information to which they control access. Instead of letting you tap through to a relevant page, mobile links generally direct you to the app’s own home page—leaving you to search around the app, often in vain, for whatever you're really looking for.

It’s a problem that leads to increased user effort and frustration, and mobile app developers consider solving it a high priority. Suddenly, deep links in mobile are a hot topic.

Button Me Up

Right now, Button SDK is the development world’s most prominent open source solution to the mobile deep linking problem.

Out of hundreds of thousands of iOS repositories on code storage community GitHub, Button has trended in the top five most popular for weeks. That means a huge number of users are watching it, downloading it, and using it to integrate deep linking into their mobile apps. Recently, Button added ridesharing service Uber as one of those companies.

Chris Maddern, cofounder at Button, said the company built the SDK as a tool for its own app integration needs, but made it open source when they realized so many other developers were experiencing the same problem.

“From app to app, it’s all about taking a user’s intent and most closely matching it to the user’s action,” he said. “If I’m looking at an item and want to buy it in an app, why would you throw me on the home screen? I want to land on the item page so I can buy it.”

Why We Need Deep Links On Mobile

It’s hard to see the impact that deep linking has on our Internet browsing behaviors until it’s no longer there. Users expect to be able to tap from link to link between apps as easily as they do in their browsers. Deep linking is the one technology that lets them.

URX is another company that helps marketers implement deep linking. Mike Fyall, the company's head of marketing, told me that until Android and iOS enable HTTP links on their end, mobile apps will need to use deep links to mimic Web browsing.

“Mobile web browsers support HTTP links just fine—it’s apps that are the problem,” he said. “They aren't built to respond to HTTP links in the same way, so deep links are used to create similar functionality.”

URX takes the technology a step further with a type of deep linking it calls URX Links, previously known as omnilinks. Even deep links have their limits, and URX Links prevent a user’s app ownership from curbing his or her browsing experience.

“If a user clicks on a deep link but doesn't have the app installed, they will get an error message,” said Fyall. “URX Links route users to the right place whether or not the user has the app installed. If the user has the app installed, the deep link is used and the user is taken inside the app. If the user doesn't have the app installed, they are taken to the mobile website.”

The Future Of Mobile Deep Linking

Deep linking is becoming a big asset for marketers who want to drive mobile traffic seamlessly from mobile browsers to mobile apps. The next step for URX, Button, and other companies in the deep linking space is to foster deep linking between different apps. For example, if a user makes a table reservation on partner Rezy, Button wants there to be a link within the Rezy app to order an Uber car to the restaurant.

“We want to build a more connected app ecosystem,” said Maddern. “To create the fluid world of users moving around on the Web, and a standardized way of moving users between apps.”

Right now, the process of deep linking is wildly different between Apple and Google. URX supports both Android and iOS with separate SDKs, and Button supports just iOS for now, (but is working on Android support). Both companies agree that the possibilities for deep linking could change dramatically depending on what Apple and Google do next.

“For the best user experience possible, we will always need to be able to link directly to a specific place in an app," said Fyall. "Deep links will be the answer for the foreseeable future. However, if the industry agreed on a deep linking standard that worked across platforms and operating systems, they would be easier to implement and use.”

He may be the new exec on the block, but Lee already has a lot to live up to. He was the former top executive of Tangerine, the design firm that also produced Jony Ive, Apple’s vice president of design. Now all eyes are on the new recruit, to see if he can create the same sort of consumer obsession for Samsung products that his Apple counterpart achieved for the Mac, iPod and iPhone.

Think Different

Previously, Jang Dong-Hoon, vice president and head of Samsung Electronics’ design team, had been considered Samsung's Ive. Now Lee appears to be taking up that mantle.

As senior vice president and head of global design, Lee will report directly to Yoon Boo-Keun, president of Samsung Electronics, and take the reins of the Samsung Design Center. Previously, the center, which is staffed by more than 1,000 people, was controlled by Samsung's chief executive.

It's an encouraging move. Instead of corporate executives making design decisions, Samsung will rely on Lee. In his new role, his primary duty is “to elevate Samsung’s design prowess overall rather than focusing on a specific product,” a Samsung official told The Korea Herald.

The South Korean national majored in industrial design at Hongik University, studied product design at the Royal College of Art in the U.K., and earned a Ph.D. from Yonsei University in human environment and design. At Tangerine, he has consulted for several global companies, including Samsung, LG, Toyota and British Airways since 1989.

The latter asked the firm to redesign its Club World fold-back seats for overnight business travelers in 1998. Lee worked on “Project Dusk” for the airline, and the team produced the following “z" style folding flat bed.

"Project Dusk" by Tangerine for British Airways

Chinese gadget maker Huawei also tapped the firm to help it build phones "for Western tastes that was true to the principles and values of the giant Chinese business,” according to an online case study.

When the then-co-president of Tangerine addressed the Thailand Creative & Design Center last year, he spoke about a “stall point,” a threshold reached by mature businesses beyond which they can no longer progress or expand. Those words seems particularly prescient, given the current task that sits before Lee.

A somewhat soft-spoken, but less breathless speaker than Ive, Lee had advocated the use of "Cognitive Design,” or design that generates human desire by genuinely serving people. One of the most powerful ways to attract customers, he said, is by finding their unmet needs and satisfying them. It's a deeply pragmatic and creative approach that may be particularly handy now.

The Grand Design

Fortunately, Lee doesn’t have to start from scratch in his new position.

Samsung's latest Gear S smartwatch represents its best-looking and most intriguing wrist wearable to date. That's encouraging, considering its first attempt at a smartwatch, the original Gear, fell back on the the company's bad habit of cramming in ill-fitting hardware. The camera shoehorned into the wristband didn't win many fans.

The Gear S, the phablet of smartwatches

As for phones, the Note 4 phablet and mid-range A-series phones eschewed plastic metal-like trim for real metal, giving them a more premium feel than even the flagship Galaxy S5, a generally very solid device that suffered from uninspired design. (It was almost indistinguishable from its predecessor, the S4.)

Clearly, Samsung has been paying more attention to the look, feel and operation of its products. Cementing Samsung’s design ambitions, it also released the Galaxy Note Edge, a phone with a curved glass screen that folds back to offer a secondary "ticker-style” display.

The Galaxy Note Edge

I’ve seen it up close, and it’s beautiful—though the usefulness (and usability) of the ticker display is still in question at this point.

Phones fall under Lee's direction, but it's only one of many product lines. He’s expected to elevate “Samsung's design prowess overall,” and that's a huge task. The company makes many consumer products—including TVs, washers and refrigerators, as well as mobile devices. Some divisions seem to understand the value of design better than others. (The company even tapped designer Yves Béhar to help create one of its latest televisions, an 82-inch curved model that was on display at the Consumer Electronics Show.)

Most of these products don’t tie into any sort of universal Samsung design ethos, though. The brand’s hardware products and software can vary quite a bit from division to division. The company sorely needs a single point of leadership to guide those devices. Initially, that will surely lead to more stunning mobile devices. It should also set cohesive guidelines that may extend to all points in Samsung’s connected life—from pocket and wrist to home and car.

Creating the design language for a range products that so much of the world uses is an enormous, high-pressure job. But if anyone can beat back the Korean company's stall point, it’s Lee. Or so Samsung hopes.

Photos of Don-Tae Lee captured from YouTube video by TCDCThailand; "Project Dusk" photo courtesy of Tangerine; all other photos by Adriana Lee for ReadWrite

Correction: Originally, the story indicated that Jony Ive founded Tangerine. Martin Darbyshire and Clive Grinyer founded the firm. The text was also edited for clarity.

If you keep up with the job-hopping antics of tech execs, then you might have come across Xiaomi when Google VP Hugo Barra left his comfy American gig a year and a half ago to join the Chinese tech titan. Now a smartphone maker often described as China’s Apple, Xiaomi unveiled new devices Thursday in Beijing, including new Mi Note phablets whose high-end specs (but lower prices) seem to take aim at the iPhone 6 Plus.

Xiaomi's meteoric rise in its home country pits it against Apple, which finds the Chinese market of intense interest. The contender has been largely ignoring the U.S., but that doesn’t mean it won’t become our own tech overlord one day. In fact, plans may already be in the works for an American tech invasion.

So if you’re not already familiar, here’s a basic primer on the company that could fuel all of our digital lives before long.

How To Pronounce “Xiaomi"

According to Barra, it sounds similar to "show me,” but the first part doesn't take the longer "o" sound. Think "shout me," minus the "t." There’s an even finer distinction that the well-tuned Chinese ear could pick up, but for non-native speakers, this is good enough to get you by.

What “Xiaomi" Means

How The Company Grew

The company makes smartphones for China, Taiwan, Singapore and other South East Asian countries, but with low overhead—its devices are sold exclusively online—so it can offer bargain prices. It also uses components from an array of outside vendors instead of trying to make its own parts (or pretending to), so it doesn't have to compromise on hardware specifications—like bigger tech companies often do.

Xiaomi’s fans also consider it a cool local brand. The company's product announcements come off like rock concerts, and it's very active on social media. Yet, it also manages to convey an image of humility and care for the customer experience. That helped it overcome a potential nightmare recently: When it came to light that it collected addressbook contacts without users’ permission, Xiaomi didn’t equivocate, but apologized and changed the default setting. Taiwan investigated the matter and wound up dismissing it.

A more cynical view of its business: Xiaomi succeeds because it rips off other people’s products. (See below.)

For all that hand-wringing, though, what’s less clear is that consumers actually care. For far less than what Apple or its rival Samsung charges for flagship devices—full price, the base model iPhone 6 Plus costs close to $1,000 U.S. dollars in China—customers will be able to pick up the new Mi Note for about $370 (base model) and $520 (pro version).

The 5.7-inch phablet measures 6.95mm in thickness and comes with a 3200 mAh battery, curved Corning Gorilla Glass 3, and high-megapixel cameras in the front (4 MP) and rear (13 MP), with wide aperture and optical; image stabilization. Users can pick from a choice of Snapdragon processors, 3GB or 4GB of RAM, 16GB or 64GB of storage, and a 1080p or 1440p display.

The pro model just might be the best smartphone to hit the market yet. Its hardware specifications look even better than the iPhone 6 Plus, with photo-taking abilities as good as the HTC One and other coveted features—such as high fidelity audio quality, super-fast LTE support and dual 4G-SIM support, in a nano SIM and a micro SIM, to cover more networks.

Why You Won't See The Mi Note In The U.S.

The Mi Note launches in Taiwan in the next quarter; after that, it's off to other non-U.S. markets. However, Xiaomi does want to reach American consumers, and this year, it will begin work on devices and dealing with the LTE bands in use here for a product roll-out later.

Xiaomi faces some significant challenges in doing so, though. Not the least of these is the fact that smartphone components and designs are heavily patented—and Xiaomi doesn't hold many such patents itself. That means it would need to spend huge sums on licensing before it can sell in the U.S. or Western Europe. For a company that mostly sells its products close to cost, that's a big hurdle.

Smartphones, however, look like just one piece of Xiaomi’s larger puzzle. The company has big ambitions and the underpinnings of a broader smart home play already in place. The company sells connected electronics through its Mi.com website, and it all links up by Xiaomi's software, a variation on Android called Miui, notes Stratechery’s Ben Thompson, a Taiwan-based technology consultant and writer.

... you could argue that Xiaomi is actually the first “Internet of Things” company: unlike Google (Nest), Apple (HomeKit), or even Samsung (SmartThings), all of whom are offering some sort of open SDK to tie everything together ... Xiaomi is integrating everything itself and selling everything one needs on Mi.com to a fan base primed to outfit their homes for the very first time. It’s absolutely a vertical strategy—the company is like Apple after all—it’s just that the product offering is far broader than anything even Gene Munster could imagine.

Those products have limited reach, though, since they live only in Xiaomi's existing Asian markets (where patent law is somewhat less strict). For now, anyway.

Last year, it looked like Russia would be the recipient of Samsung’s first Tizen smartphone, but now India gets the honor instead. Meet the Z1, the South Korean tech company’s first smartphone powered by its own open-source, Linux-based software.

But hardware isn't the main attraction. It’s the software—namely that Tizen 2.3 operating system Samsung developed and now wants to spread across its connected devices—that warrants attention here.

A Mediocre Phone Is Not Boring …

Last year, Samsung saw falling mobile device shipments. Now it appears to be running full-tilt at the mid-tier market. Earlier this week, it launched the Galaxy A7, a lower-end off-shoot of its flagship Galaxy S series line-up.

As an individual phone, even a mediocre one, the latest Z1 should ably handle what Hyun Chil Hong, president and CEO of Samsung in India, says is the device’s main purpose: to “meet [the] unique, entertainment-focused needs of local Indian consumers,” he said in a statement.

Mobile users in India are voracious consumers of media, and the phone comes with Samsung's "Joy Box” service, for free media and trial access to sources like Hungama.com and nextGTv, for Hollywood and Bollywood titles. To keep the device running, it comes with an "Ultra Power Saving Mode" much like you'd find on higher-end Samsung devices. Wireless provider Airtel steps up to offer 500MB of 3G data free for six months.

Even so, on the surface, it still looks like yet another budget device heading to a developing market. And it would be, if not for the fact that Samsung stuffed Tizen into the Z1, making it the first to hit the market with the company’s own software on board.

The biggest challenge in front of the company and its new handset is the lack of Tizen apps. After all, app makers can’t just port over their existing Android or iOS apps. They must build on Tizen or rewrite those other versions to work on Samsung’s platform.

Now at least there’s an actual device on the market to run those apps. It may not be the most advanced device or even widely available, but hold tight, says Samsung. It’s just the first of many Tizen gadgets on the way, it promises.

… When It’s A Sign Of What’s To Come

The Z1 fills in an important gap for the tech giant. These days, mobile devices tend to act as the heart of gadget ecosystems, tying together various gizmos into a connected and inter-connected system. The end result: Homes, cars and personal gadgets that know you and your habits, and give you a remote control for your life or even make decisions for you, if that’s what you want.

While it remains an Android device maker, Samsung doesn’t want to run its Internet of Things initiative on Google's platform. It clearly has its own plans—which may even include buying BlackBerry (although BlackBerry has denied that report). Renowned for its hardware QWERTY keyboard phones and enterprise security practices, the struggling BlackBerry has a big backup strategy focused on the Internet of Things.

How exactly BlackBerry might fit into Samsung’s mobile or Internet of Things plans isn’t known yet. What is clear is that the Internet of Things is a top priority for the electronics and appliance maker, and that it wants to put its Tizen software into most every connected product it makes, which is a lot—everything from its televisions and kitchen appliances, to smartwatches and now smartphones.

The company used some of its spotlight at the Consumer Electronics Show to discuss how it will put the software in its popular line-up of smart televisions. Previously, Samsung also released Tizen-powered wearables, including its best smartwatch to date, the Gear S.

Until now, Samsung has lacked any sort of mobile device to bring it all together. Granted, the Z1’s limited capabilities certainly won’t be up to the job on its own. But the handset gives developers a concrete reference point, and shows that Samsung’s ready to walk the walk, and not just talk the Tizen talk.

Although flexible materials have been available for years, a decent genuinely bendy smartphone has been elusive, despite LG’s best efforts. That changed Monday. As if to apologize for its first flop, the G Flex, LG introduced the first real contender in flexible smartphones Monday with the second-generation G Flex 2.

Ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show, the South Korean tech company unveiled a slew of new products, among them a handset that improves on its predecessor in some key ways. The original’s interesting proposition, to put a “self-healing” device naturally immune to rough handling and scratches, was marred by a mediocre 720p screen and a middling camera.

Its successor fills in those gaps, and adds in a few other details that would make any smartphone—flexible or not—pretty tempting.

Fast Specs Bursting At The Seams

Photo courtesy of LG

While every other handset maker seems to chase the phablet trend with growing sizes, LG went the other way. Based on user feedback, the company whacked down its Android 5.0 (Lollipop) phone from 6 inches to 5.5 inches and reduced the curvature, so it sits more comfortably in the hand.

LG also borrowed its G3 flagship’s terrific 13-megapixel shooter (with its fast laser autofocus) and gave it to the G Flex 2, finally giving it a decent rear camera. Add in a 1080p HD display, faster performance—thanks to Qualcomm's 2GHz octa-core Snapdragon 810 chipsets with 2GB of RAM and faster LTE Category 6—and fast-charging that juices up the G Flex 2’s 3000 milliampere hour battery up to 50 percent power in roughly 40 minutes, and you’ve got an intriguing device to ponder.

But it’s not just any other phone, with oh-so-fragile hardware integrity that rightly fears scratches and dents.

Bending Over Backwards

The “self-healing” feature isn’t just marketingspeak. The company essentially made a phone that you can sit on, punch, even drop on your kitchen floor. The resulting scratches and dings to the flexible shell vanish in 10 seconds, an improvement to the previous model’s three-minute recovery.

On the front, the new high-resolution display sits behind Corning’s Gorilla Glass, but there’s a twist: LG put it through its own chemical treatment to make it, the company claims, 20 percent stronger. This “Dura-Guard” glass supposedly makes the device just as strong around the edges as in the center. Inside, flexible components add to the device’s durability.

Of course, it's not clear yet if consumers will flock to flexible smartphones. If anything, we expect our phones not to bend—see Apple's Bendgate troubles with the iPhone 6 Plus.

Then again, given how fragile mobile phones have become, having a genuinely durable device may prove pretty tempting. We'll find out for sure soon. The G Flex 2 will ship to South Korea first before making its way to other countries.

Alcatel, new owner of the Palm name and legacy, has a brand new smartphone for the market with a familiar name. Meet the Pixi 3.

The name is the only resemblance to Palm’s older compact smartphone with hardware keyboard, though. Alcatel already established its Pixi line of devices before, so it’s no surprise that it didn’t imbue its new phone with the Palm nostalgia here. However, the budget handset maker did pull off another neat trick: Unlike the first two Alcatel Pixis, version 3 can support three different operating systems.

"Our users do not want complicated systems," said Alcatel OneTouch Chief Marketing Officer Dan Dery in a press statement. "They want something familiar from their work environment in the office, but also on a smartphone."

Of course, for some users, a single device offering a choice of Windows Phone, Android or the Firefox OS may be the epitome of complication. But what's complex for one person could be freedom and flexibility for another. Notably the Pixi 3's internal hardware, which will likely be middle-of-the-road, doesn't appear to get in the way of this multiple support.

Alcatel has produced phones for each of the different mobile platforms before, but its latest is the first device that can work with all three. The Verge reports that the Pixi 3 will also come in a choice of display sizes: 3.5 inches (3G cellular connectivity only), 4 inches, 4.5 inches and 5 inches.

While the announcement is not the reemergence of Palm we were hoping for, the affordable gadget does offer some unique twists that could appeal to a broad range of users—at least those who prize flexibility over hardware specifications. Expect the company to show off this mobile wonder at CES next week, when it will also announce a new budget smartwatch.

Here’s a surprise just in time for New Year’s: Palm, the erstwhile mobile brand that flopped despite the big potential of its platform, may still have some life left in it yet.

For years, the HP-owned company sent Palm.com visitors to the HPWebOS.com website. Now Palm redirects to MyNewPalm.com, which features a Palm logo and the alternating messages “Coming Soon” and "Smart Move.”

According to Ars Technica, that move may reference new ownership by Alcatel One Touch, a division of Chinese technology giant TCL. In other words, Palm may not be as dead as once thought. In fact, its second life could be fueled by a major tech company with stakes in both mobile and television.

A Second Wind For Palm?

Ars cites WebOS Nation, which first noticed the website redirection, and brings up one other tidbit: A document in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office reveals a change in ownership of the Palm trademark from HP to a company with ties to Alcatel One Touch, a maker of budget and second-tier mobile devices.

It just so happens that Alcatel's tagline is the same "Smart Move" message animated on the MyNewPalm site.

Its parent company, TCL Corporation, has more than enough in its vast coffers to resuscitate the Palm brand. Some folks may recall that the corporation made news this year for being one of the two manufacturers to produce Roku’s brand new 2014 smart TVs. Ars Technica notes that TCL is the 25th-largest consumer electronics manufacturer and the third-biggest maker of televisions (after Samsung and LG).

HP has owned Palm since 2010, and since then, has done little to advance the brand. The company didn't turn out any new WebOS devices for years, instead selling the operating system to LG. WebOS now lives as open-source software and has been positioned as a platform for smart televisions.

Given its mobile roots—anyone remember the Treo, Pre or Pixi?—and that it developed an operating system that could help drive connected TV, Alcatel and TCL seem like natural fits for Palm. Other reasons to believe this is a good match: Palm was a beloved brand in its time. That sentiment should appeal to TCL, which badly wants to establish a presence in the U.S.

Of course, much depends on what the mobile company or its parent corporation will actually do with Palm. Some have proffered that new Palm devices could debut with Android on board. Given the “coming soon” message, we may not have long to find out.

Happy New Year, Palm fans!

Photo by Adriana Lee for ReadWrite

Correction: An earlier version of the article failed to reference LG's ownership of WebOS, giving the impression the software still belonged to HP. The article has been updated to reflect that.

The report revealed that more than half of new devices activated over Christmas week belonged to Apple, at 51%, while Samsung and Nokia nabbed just 18% and 6%, respectively. Flurry also noted that the trend toward large “phablet” phones heated up, from 3% of devices two years ago to 13% this year.

On the surface, the numbers seem to indicate consumers' growing obsession for phablets. But it’s a backward look that only tells half the story. To understand what that breakdown means and how it may affect the upcoming year in mobile, you have to take into account a few other details.

A Huge Fish In A Shrinking Pond

“For every Samsung devices [sic] that was activated, Apple activated 2.9 devices,” Flurry wrote. "For every Microsoft Lumia device activated, Apple activated 8.8 devices.” The firm also states that Christmas 2014 "saw a big jump in the number of phablets activated.”

That’s a notable outcome in a holiday season that saw “flat" electronics sales overall. According to MasterCard’s holiday spending report, consumer sentiment is shifting away from buying goods to purchasing “experiences.” Any gadget that can stand out in such a dull retail environment must offer something consumers really want—like a huge screen.

This year marks Apple’s entry into the phablet market, so it’s tempting to chalk up the company’s success to finally satisfying people’s voracious appetite for massive phones. But there’s an inconvenient stumbling block to that narrative: Consumers barely had any other choice.

You can actually count the number of decent small phones with one hand.

The following are five compact smartphones, perhaps the best of the lot, and all of them pale in comparison to their larger siblings. Yet, not even these offer a display smaller than 4.3 inches:

LG G2 Mini: 4.7 inch display

Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini: 4.5 inch display

HTC One Mini: 4.5 inch display

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact: 4.3 inch display

Sony Xperia Z3 Compact: 4.6 inch display

Some believe even smaller 4-inch screens are already dead. This year, the demise of Apple's last 3.5-inch screen put the iPhones 5S and 5C next on the chopping block. But that says less about public sentiment than mobile makers intentionally killing off or shortchanging compact phones as they foist colossal devices at consumers.

iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 5S

Next year, things may be different. Reportedly Apple may go back to compact 4-inch displays with an "iPhone 6S Mini.” The fact that there's even a rumor of Apple harking back to a more diminutive size suggests there's plenty of desire left for wee devices. If the story pans out, the move might even set off a race back to petite phones.

Power Plays, Big And Small

Of course, some people will cling to phablets, no matter what. Like me. For years, I held out for an advanced compact smartphone, but the iPhone 6 Plus changed my mind.

Part of the reason was the luxurious feel of a bigger screen. This year, our time spent on mobile displays finally eclipsed television, making for another trend that shows no sign of slowing. Watching videos on a larger phone display has obvious appeal.

But that wasn’t the real reason.

The iPhone 6 Plus and Samsung Galaxy Note 4 offer battery life that dwarfs their smaller versions. Logically, bigger phones hold bigger power cells. So if Apple unleashes a small iPhone next year, it would have to solve that challenge (or hope that battery technology finally surges forward). Software optimizations help, but they're no more than workarounds for lackluster lithium-ion cells.

Not Everyone's Flipping For Phablets

Likely next year, the mobile conversation will shift away from who’s launching a big phone to the other big initiatives they support, like wearables, mobile advertising, mobile payments, real-world services and smart cars, TVs and homes.

For the devices themselves, what’s left will revolve around battery life and technologies designed to mitigate the annoyance, including fast-charging features and stop-gap solutions like wireless charging and energy management optimizations. Expect these to become even more important talking points in 2015.

Also, if an advanced small Apple iPhone really is on the menu next year, then industry watchers will be glued to those numbers even more than usual. Because if someone can make a compact smartphone that's operable with a single hand and doesn't force compromises on users, it could undercut sales of big mobile devices.

Consider that, during the year of the phablet, another wacky trend emerged that goes directly against the "everyone wants massive phones" narrative.

The fashion industry—an influential voice in technology now, thanks in part to collaborations with wearable device makers—seems to have rejected phablets. So what exactly are arbiters of taste like Vogue’s Anna Wintour, celebrity fashionistas like Rihanna and flamboyant rock stars like Iggy Pop rocking these days? Devices that are the very antithesis of huge touchscreens.